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Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Fast Micro-iontophoresis of Glutamate and GABA: A Useful Tool to Investigate Synaptic Integration
Published on: July 31, 2013
Trans-synaptic functions of non-canonical ionotropic glutamate receptors in circuit wiring and plasticity
Doris Wennagel1, Cécile Charrier1
1Institut de Biologie de l'ENS (IBENS), Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, INSERM, PSL Research University, 75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) mediate the vast majority of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain. In addition, non-canonical iGluRs of the kainate (GluKs) and delta (GluDs) families serve as trans-synaptic organizers and mediate non-ionotropic signaling in selective types of excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Here, we review recent insights into the roles and mechanisms of these receptors in circuit wiring and plasticity. We highlight their molecular choreography in the specification of excitatory synaptic connectivity, and their expanding role in inhibitory neuronal circuits driven by unexpected pharmacological properties. We discuss how fundamental research on iGluR non-canonical functions and interaction networks in the synaptic cleft fosters novel therapeutic strategies for synapse recovery in neurological disorders and injuries.
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