Glutamate Receptors, Metabotropic

In addition to eliciting fast excitatory synaptic responses, the neurotransmitter glutamate can modulate neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, and other cell functions by activation of a family of G protein-coupled receptors termed metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors. Because of the ubiquitous distribution of glutamatergic synapses and the broad range of functions of the mGlu receptors, members of this receptor family participate in a broad range of functions of the central nervous system. As such, mGlu receptors are an attractive target for therapeutic intervention for a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.