Abstract
We used electron microscopic immunocytochemistry with antibodies against NR1 and NR2A and B subunits to study the distribution of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in presynaptic axon terminals in the rat cerebral cortex. In all sections examined, NR1 and NR2A/B immunoreactivities were observed in axon terminals: NR1- and NR2A/B-positive axon terminals made both symmetrical and asymmetrical synapses on unlabelled dendritic profiles. Combined pre- and post-embedding studies showed that all NR1 and NR2A/B-positive axon terminals making symmetrical synapses were γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-positive. These observations show that both auto- and hetero-NMDA receptors do exist in the cerebral cortex, and indicate that part of the effects of NMDA receptor activation might be determined by modulating glutamate and GABA release.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 2773-2776 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | NeuroReport |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 15-17 |
Publication status | Published - 1996 |
Keywords
- Autoreceptors
- Cerebral cortex
- Glutamate
- Heteroreceptors
- NMDA receptors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)