The Role of NMDA Receptor in Learning and Memory

학습과 기억에서 NMDA 수용체의 역할

To investigate the neurobiological bases of learning and memory is one of the ambitious goals of modern neuroscience. The progress in this field of recent years has not only brought us closer to understanding the molecular mechanism underlying long-lasting changes in synaptic strength, but it has also provided further evidence that these mechanisms are required for memory formation. Since twenty years ago, several studies for the tests of the hypothesis that NMDA-dependent hippocampal long-term potentiation(LTP) underlies learning have been reported. Also, in the recent year, data from mutant mice showed that a potential role for NMDA-dependent LTP in hippocampal CA1 and spatial learning. Although the current evidence for the role of NMDA receptor in learning and memory is not still obvious, NMDA receptor seems to act as a critical switch for activation of a cascade of events that underlie synaptic plasticity.