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Neurochemistry

NO typical messenger

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 7, page 4 (2006)Cite this article

NO is a highly reactive free radical that has been implicated in excitotoxic processes in various model systems. Activation of NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors triggers NO production by neuronal NO synthases. Prolonged activation of hippocampal NMDA receptors — crucial components in the signalling cascades that underlie neuronal plasticity — is associated with neurodegeneration in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Knowledge of the concentration dynamics of NO could shed light on its involvement in these physiological and pathological processes.

Ledo et al. used NO-selective microsensors to measure the response to stimulation of NMDA receptors in the hippocampus. The authors detected a wide diffusional spread of NO from the point of NMDA receptor activation, but NO signals were transient even when NMDA receptors were stimulated continuously. Although NO was produced in the principal cell layer in all hippocampal subregions, a stronger response was detected in the CA1 region than in area CA3 and the dentate gyrus.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Ledo, A. et al. Concentration dynamics of nitric oxide in rat hippocampal subregions evoked by stimulation of the NMDA glutamate receptor. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 17483–17488 (2005)

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  1. Samantha Barton
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Barton, S. NO typical messenger. Nat Rev Neurosci 7, 4 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1842

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1842

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