Glutamate and related acidic excitatory neurotransmitters: from basic science to clinical application.

There is convincing evidence that acidic amino acids, in particular L-glutamate, or substances containing them serve as the major excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. At least three distinct receptors mediate the excitatory effects of this class of neurotransmitters. Pharmacological studies with agonists and antagonists of these receptors suggest that they may mediate the neurodegenerative consequences of Huntington's disease, status epilepticus, and hypoxemia, and that glutamate receptor antagonists have clinical potential as anticonvulsants, analgesics, and neuroprotective agents.