Kainate Receptor
Kainate receptors, or KARs, are non-NMDA ionotropic receptors which respond to the neurotransmitter glutamate. They were first identified as a distinct receptor type through their selective activation by the agonist kainate, a drug first isolated from red algae Digenea simplex. KARs are less well understood than AMPA and NMDA receptors, the other ionotropic glutamate receptors. Kainate postsynaptic receptors are involved in excitatory neurotransmission. Presynaptic kainate receptors have been implicated in inhibitory neurotransmission by modulating release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA through a presynaptic mechanism.
Read more about Kainate Receptor: Structure, Conductance, Roles, Plasticity, Antagonists
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