Role of central glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathogenesis of psychiatric and behavioral disorders.

Glutamate is the most ubiquitous of the fast excitatory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. In the process, glutamate fulfills numerous physiological functions, but also plays an important role in the pathophysiology of a variety of psychiatric and behavioral disorders such as schizophrenia. Recently, modulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission has been suggested to be involved in the mechanisms of action of antipsychotic drugs. Thus, pharmacological manipulation of glutamatergic transmission may be a feasible therapeutic strategy for treatment of schizophrenia. In this review article, we focus on the role of central glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathogenesis and pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia and the development of new drugs targeting glutamate brain systems. 2005 Prous Science