Question

What is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain during neonatal development? Is it the same as after birth? What changes lead to how it affects brain during these different stages of life?

Answer 1

Ans- Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain during neonatal development. And, it is the same as after birth. Glutamate is the powerful excitatory neurotransmitter that is released by nerve cells in the brain. It is responsible for sending signals between nerve cells, and under normal conditions it plays an important role in learning and memory. Too much glutamate neurotransmitter can lead to too much acetylcholine, and too much acetylcholine has a stimulating effect as well and cause perpetual state of sympathetic stress with high level of anxiety, fear, nervousness etc. Glutamate receptors present on the surface of brain cells. Excessive activation of these receptors is prevented by continuously removing glutamate from the extracellular fluid in the brain. The brain -barrier shields the brain from glutamate in the blood.

Effect of glutamate on different parts of brain during schizophrenia.

Basal ganglia- Glutamate systems regulates dopamine release in basal ganglia.

Auditory language region- Hyperactivity in language regions correlates with severity of auditory verbal hallucinations.

Visual cortex- Glutamatergic deficits lead to perceptual changes, including impaired reading ability

Primary auditory cortex- Deficits in glutamatergic function lead to impaired ability to detect vocal intonation.

Medial temporal cortex- Glutamate deficits lead to imparements in learning and memory formation.

Inferior prefrontal cortex- Glutamate deficits lead to impared response inhibition.

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex- Glutamate deficits lead to working memory impairments.