Plasticity: downstream of glutamate

Glutamate neurotransmission is an essential component of many forms of neuronal plasticity, however, the intracellular mechanisms that mediate plasticity are only beginning to be elucidated. The emerging image of the NMDA receptor complex reminds us that the similarity between mechanisms of plasticity in various model systems is greater than their apparent differences. For example, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A signalling pathway is crucial for plasticity in a variety of neuronal systems and across a wide variety of species.