ABSTRACT
The discovery of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) was made possible by the synthesis and study of NMDA (Figure 12.1) and various NMDAR antagonists by Jeff Watkins and colleagues.1 These compounds, most notably (R)-α-aminoadipate ((R)-α-AA) and (R)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (Figure 12.2), were shown to block neuronal responses to applied NMDA, but not to block responses to kainate or quisqualate.2,3 As a result, NMDARs were shown to represent a distinct subpopulation of excitatory amino acid receptors.
