View source for N-methyl-D-aspartic acid

{{chembox
| Watchedfields = changed
| verifiedrevid = 312363528
| Name = ''N''-Methyl-<small>D</small>-aspartic acid
| ImageFile = NMDA.svg
| IUPACName = ''N''-Methyl-<small>D</small>-aspartic acid
|   OtherNames = NMDA
| Section1 = {{Chembox Identifiers
|   InChI=1/C5H9NO4/c1-6-3(5(9)10)2-4(7)8/h3,6H,2H2,1H3,(H,7,8)(H,9,10)/t3-/m1/s1
|   CASNo = 6384-92-5
|    CASNo_Ref = {{cascite}}
|   ChemSpiderID = 21436
|   PubChem = 22880
|   SMILES = [C@@H](CC(O[H])=O)(C(O[H])=O)N([H])C([H])([H])[H]
|   MeSHName = NMDA
  }}
| Section2 = {{Chembox Properties
|   Formula = C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>9</sub>NO<sub>4</sub>
|   MolarMass = 147.13 g/mol
|   Appearance = 
|   Density = 
|   MeltingPt = 
|   Solubility = soluble
  }}
| Section7 = {{Chembox Hazards
|   EUIndex = 
|   FlashPt = 
  }}
}}
'''NMDA (N-methyl-<small>D</small>-aspartic acid)''' is an [[amino acid]] derivative which acts as a specific [[agonist]] at the [[NMDA receptor]] mimicking the action of [[glutamate]], the [[neurotransmitter]] which normally acts at that receptor. Unlike glutamate, NMDA only binds to and regulates the NMDA receptor and has no effect on other glutamate receptors (such as those for [[AMPA]] and [[kainate]]).  NMDA receptors are particularly important when they become overactive during [[withdrawal]] from [[alcohol]] as this causes symptoms such as [[agitation]] and, sometimes, epileptiform [[seizures]].

NMDA is a water-soluble synthetic substance that is not normally found in biological tissue. It was first synthesized in 1960s. NMDA is an [[excitotoxin]]; this trait has applications in behavioral neuroscience research. The body of work utilizing this technique falls under the term "lesion studies." Researchers apply NMDA to specific regions of an (animal) subject's brain or spinal cord and subsequently test for the behavior of interest, such as [[Operant conditioning|operant behavior]]. If the behavior is compromised, it suggests the destroyed tissue was part of a brain region that made an important contribution to the normal expression of that behavior.
However, in lower quantities NMDA is not neurotoxic. Therefore the action of [[glutamate]] specifically through NMDA receptors can be investigated by injecting small quantities of NMDA into a certain region in the brain: for example, injection of NMDA in a [[brainstem]] region induces involuntary [[animal locomotion|locomotion]] in cats and rats.
[[File:Activated NMDAR.PNG|thumb|left|NMDA receptor activated]]

==Antagonists==
{{mainarticle|NMDA receptor antagonist}}
Examples of [[Receptor antagonist|antagonists]] of the NMDA receptor are [[APV (NMDAR antagonist)|APV]], [[Amantadine]], [[dextromethorphan]], [[ketamine]], [[phencyclidine]] (PCP), [[riluzole]], [[memantine]], and [[kynurenic acid]], the only known endogenous antagonist. They are commonly referred to as [[NMDA receptor antagonist]]s.

==References==
* {{citation | first1 = Jeffrey C. | last1 = Watkins | first2 = David E. | last2 = Jane | title = The glutamate story | journal = Br. J. Pharmacol. | volume = 147 | issue = Suppl.&nbsp;1 | pages = S100–8 | year = 2006 | pmid = 16402093 | doi = 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706444}}.

==Further reading==
* {{citation | first1 = Mathias-Costa | last1 = Blaise | first2 = Ramanathan | last2 = Sowdhamini | first3 = Metpally Raghu Prasad | last3 = Rao | first4 = Nithyananda | last4 = Pradhan | title = Evolutionary trace analysis of ionotropic glutamate receptor sequences and modeling the interactions of agonists with different NMDA receptor subunits | journal = J. Mol. Model. | year = 2004 | volume=10 | issue = 5-6 | pages=305–16 | doi = 10.1007/s00894-004-0196-7 | pmid=15597199}}.

{{Glutamate_receptor_ligands}}

[[Category:Neurotransmitters]]


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