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Amino acid neurotransmitters in the CNS
Author(s) -
Erecińska Maria,
Nelson David
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(87)81465-5
Subject(s) - amino acid , glutamate receptor , excitatory amino acid transporter , biochemistry , neurotransmission , free nerve ending , chemistry , biophysics , transmembrane protein , neurotransmitter , glutamic acid , biology , receptor , anatomy
Carefully isolated, metabolically competent rat brain synaptosomes accumulate acidic amino acid neuro‐transmitters down to very low external levels. This supports the suggestion that nerve endings are involved in terminating transmission at the synapses and in maintaining low levels of these molecules in the external environment in the brain. At saturating levels of acidic amino acids, the rate of inward and outward movements of the Na + ‐amino acid complex (exchange) is much faster than the net uptake. The transmembrane gradients of aspartate and glutamate approach each other under all conditions explored which indicates that these two amino acids share the same transport system.