Interactions between glutamatergic and monoaminergic systems within the basal ganglia--implications for schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Recent animal experiments suggest that dopamine plays a less crucial role than formerly supposed in the regulation of psychomotor functions. This is illustrated by the finding that even in the almost complete absence of brain dopamine, a pronounced behavioural activation is produced in mice following suppression of glutamatergic neurotransmission. This paper discusses the possibility that a deficient activity within the corticostriatal glutamatergic/aspartergic pathway may be an important pathophysiological component in schizophrenia, and that glutamatergic agonists may be beneficial in the treatment of this disease. In addition, it is suggested that glutamatergic antagonists may be valuable supplements in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.