Functional studies of neurotransmitter receptors in human brain

Understanding synaptic transmission in the human brain is of the uppermost importance due to the involvement of neurotransmitters in several neurological and psychiatric disorders. Studies of animal pharmacology and of molecular biology are revealing that transmitter receptors are highly heterogeneous. It is therefore essential, also in view of using animal models in the development of therapeutically useful drugs, to establish if functionally corresponding receptors in men and animals also display identical pharmacological profiles. Using human brain tissue samples removed during neurosurgery and monitoring transmitter release as a functional response, a number of neurotransmitter receptors have been identified, localized and pharmacologically characterized as types and subtypes.