Alzheimer's disease
First, the presence of elevated neurotransmitter levels in the synapse under resting conditions can be thought of as a constant 'background signal,' leading to chronic low-level activation of glutamatergic receptors on postsynaptic neurons and possibly neuronal death. PubMed:16273023
From the perspective of brain histopathology, Alzheimer's disease has three characteristic features—the appearance of beta-amyloid plaques, the presence of neurofibrillary tangles, and the loss of neuronal cells PubMed:16273023
Second, because of this background signal, as well as the fact that neurons are left with smaller amounts of neurotransmitter to release into the synapse during neuronal firing, the 'peak signal'—the difference between synaptic glutamate concentration during neuronal activity and synaptic glutamate concentration under resting conditions—is attenuated, leading to suboptimal neurotransmission as exemplified by a lack of long-term potentiation (LTP) PubMed:16273023
Among the systems affected in patients with Alzheimer's disease are the cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission systems. These two systems play key roles in cognition and, as a result, contemporary pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are designed to restore their functioning PubMed:16273023
Second, because of this background signal, as well as the fact that neurons are left with smaller amounts of neurotransmitter to release into the synapse during neuronal firing, the 'peak signal'—the difference between synaptic glutamate concentration during neuronal activity and synaptic glutamate concentration under resting conditions—is attenuated, leading to suboptimal neurotransmission as exemplified by a lack of long-term potentiation (LTP) PubMed:16273023
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