Forty years of amino acid transmission in the brain

This article is concerned with the discovery that amino acids, particularly L-glutamate and gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA), are central neurotransmitters. The crucial observations that lead to the conclusion that these two amino acids produce most of the synaptic excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system, were made in late 1950's. The combination of neurochemical knowledge and improved electrophysiological techniques was paramount in making these discoveries possible. In particular, the use of specific antagonists in microiontophoretic experiments provided the most decisive evidence. The relationship is also explored between these early findings and those of the present era characterised by extensive use of techniques of molecular biology and the development of drugs against targets identified 30 to 40 years ago.