N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor hypofunction as a potential contributor to the progression and manifestation of many neurological disorders

Bin Dong; Yang Yue; Han Dong; Yuehui Wang

doi:10.3389/fnmol.2023.1174738

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor hypofunction as a potential contributor to the progression and manifestation of many neurological disorders

Front Mol Neurosci. 2023 Jun 15:16:1174738. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1174738. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Bin Dong¹, Yang Yue², Han Dong¹, Yuehui Wang¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geriatrics, Jilin Geriatrics Clinical Research Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.
² School of Psychology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.

Abstract

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA) are glutamate-gated ion channels critical for synaptic transmission and plasticity. A slight variation of NMDAR expression and function can result in devastating consequences, and both hyperactivation and hypoactivation of NMDARs are detrimental to neural function. Compared to NMDAR hyperfunction, NMDAR hypofunction is widely implicated in many neurological disorders, such as intellectual disability, autism, schizophrenia, and age-related cognitive decline. Additionally, NMDAR hypofunction is associated with the progression and manifestation of these diseases. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms of NMDAR hypofunction in the progression of these neurological disorders and highlight that targeting NMDAR hypofunction is a promising therapeutic intervention in some neurological disorders.

Keywords: GRIN related disease; N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors; NMDAR antibody encephalitis; age-related cognitive decline; schizophrenia.

Publication types

Review