Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors (GluR1-4 or GRIA1-4) are the primary mediators of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. [@hollmann1992] AMPA receptors have become recognized as fundamental to learning, memory, and information processing in the brain. The four subunits assemble in various combinations to form functional ion channels with distinct properties. [@dingledine1999]
AMPA receptors are essential for synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), the cellular correlates of learning and memory. Dysfunction of AMPA receptor trafficking and function has been strongly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). [@whitcomb2020][@zhou2019]
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AMPA Receptor Protein
Introduction
Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors (GluR1-4 or GRIA1-4) are the primary mediators of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian central nervous system. [@hollmann1992] AMPA receptors have become recognized as fundamental to learning, memory, and information processing in the brain. The four subunits assemble in various combinations to form functional ion channels with distinct properties. [@dingledine1999]
AMPA receptors are essential for synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), the cellular correlates of learning and memory. Dysfunction of AMPA receptor trafficking and function has been strongly implicated in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). [@whitcomb2020][@zhou2019]
AMPA receptors mediate the majority of fast glutamatergic neurotransmission. When glutamate is released, it binds to AMPA receptors, triggering Na⁺ influx and rapid depolarization.
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[Liu SJ, Zukin RS, Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors in synaptic plasticity and neuronal death. Trends Neurosci (2007)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17324414/)
[Palop JJ, Mucke L, Synaptic activity and excitotoxicity in Alzheimer's disease. Nat Neurosci (2014)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25143241/)
[Contractor A, Klyachko VA, Porter RJ, Altered glutamate receptor trafficking in neurological disease. Lancet Neurol (2011)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21683934/)
[Endele S, Rosenfelder M, Snell H, et al., GRIA4 mutations in neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain (2019)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31241154/)