TY - JOUR
T1 - Glutamate receptors and circuits in the vertebrate retina
AU - Thoreson, Wallace B.
AU - Witkovsky, Paul
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Drs S. deVries, R. Duvoisin, R. Huganir, S. Keirstead, R. Marc, S. Massey, G. Matthews and R. Miller for helpful comments and new information. We are grateful to the National Eye Institute (EY03570 and EY10542), Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., the Gifford Foundation, the Nebraska Lions Foundation and the Hoffritz Foundation for support.
PY - 1999/11
Y1 - 1999/11
N2 - We survey the evidence for L-glutamate's role as the primary excitatory neurotransmitter of vertebrate retinas. The physiological and molecular properties of glutamate receptors in the retina are reviewed in relation to what has been learned from studies of glutamate function in other brain areas and in expression systems. We have focused on (a) the evidence for the presence of L-glutamate in retinal neurons, (b) the processes by which glutamate is released, (c) the presence and function of ionotropic receptors for L-glutamate in retinal neurons, (d) the presence and function of metabotropic receptors for L-glutamate in retinal neurons, and (e) the variety and distribution of glutamate transporters in the vertebrate retina. Modulatory pathways which influence glutamate release and the behavior of its receptors are described. Emphasis has been placed on the cellular mechanisms of glutamate-mediated neurotransmission in relation to the encoding of visual information by retinal circuits.
AB - We survey the evidence for L-glutamate's role as the primary excitatory neurotransmitter of vertebrate retinas. The physiological and molecular properties of glutamate receptors in the retina are reviewed in relation to what has been learned from studies of glutamate function in other brain areas and in expression systems. We have focused on (a) the evidence for the presence of L-glutamate in retinal neurons, (b) the processes by which glutamate is released, (c) the presence and function of ionotropic receptors for L-glutamate in retinal neurons, (d) the presence and function of metabotropic receptors for L-glutamate in retinal neurons, and (e) the variety and distribution of glutamate transporters in the vertebrate retina. Modulatory pathways which influence glutamate release and the behavior of its receptors are described. Emphasis has been placed on the cellular mechanisms of glutamate-mediated neurotransmission in relation to the encoding of visual information by retinal circuits.
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U2 - 10.1016/S1350-9462(98)00031-7
DO - 10.1016/S1350-9462(98)00031-7
M3 - Review article
C2 - 10530751
AN - SCOPUS:0032865768
SN - 1350-9462
VL - 18
SP - 765
EP - 810
JO - Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
JF - Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
IS - 6
ER -