The stimulation of ion fluxes in brain slices by glutamate and other excitatory amino acids.

The stimulation of ion movements by excitatory amino acids in brain slices allows the study of various events related to the process of excitatory neurotransmission. Presynaptic mechanisms of uptake of putative neurotransmitters can be followed by the influx of Na+ ions. Postsynaptic depolarizations due to the activation of action potentials or of ionophores associated with specific receptors can be monitored by measurements of the rate of efflux of radioactive tracer ions. Thus, the pharmacological properties of the excitatory amino acid receptors can be investigated as well as those of their putative endogenous effectors.