Synaptic excitation mediated by glutamate-gated ion channels

Excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system relies predominantly on stimulation of L-glutamate-gated ion channels in postsynaptic membranes. Activation of these channels not only mediates millisecond to millisecond signalling but can also have long term influences on synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Recent work has resolved some longstanding problems involving the identity of the transmitter, the postsynaptic localization of the receptor subtypes, and the time course of the transmitter in the synaptic cleft.