GLUTAMATE AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN
PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
D.C. Javitt provides a review on glutamate as a therapeutic target in many disorders including schizophrenia, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and PTSD (Glutamate as a therapeutic target in psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry 9, 984-997, November 2004).
Glutamate is the most important excitatory neurotransmitter in the human brain and, in general, in mammalian encephalon; yet, for many reasons, research in this field hasn’t been as fast as in the case of dopamine or 5-HT.
Glutamatergic neurotransmission may be modulated at multiple levels, only a minority of which are currently being exploited for pharmaceutical development. Javitt “state of art” is a useful compendium of research advancement.