NMDA

The prototypic NMDA receptor agonist NMDA is effective at a range of concentrations and typically used at 100 μM. NMDA from Hello Bio induces inward depolarising whole-cell currents in cortical neurons at 10 μM with prominent currents at 50 μM. The actions of NDMA were fully blocked by D-AP5 (NMDAR antagonist) at 100 μM (see Fig 1 above).

#Protocol 1: NMDA mediated whole-cell currents

• Whole cell voltage clamp recordings were obtained from layer V neurons of the mouse prelimbic cortex brain slice.
• Neurons were held at -70 mV and continuously perfused with aCSF in the presence of AMPA and GABA receptor antagonists CNQX (10 μM) and Bicuculline (100 μM) respectively and Tetrodotoxin (1 μM) to reduce network activity.
• NMDA currents were evoked by applying NMDA directly to the recording chamber during continuous perfusion.
  • To test the selectivity of NMDA to NMDA receptors the experiment was repeated within the same neuron in the presence of the NMDA receptor antagonist D-AP5 (100 μM). Under these conditions NMDA failed to induce a depolarising current.