View source for Amino acid neurotransmitter

{| class="wikitable" align="right" width="360px"
| [[Image:Synapse diag1.svg|180px]] || <small>Activity at an axon terminal:  Neuron A is transmitting a signal at the axon terminal to neuron B (receiving).  Features:  '''1.''' [[Mitochondria|Mitochondrion]].  '''2.''' [[synaptic vesicle]] with [[neurotransmitters]].  '''3.''' Autoreceptor.  '''4.''' [[Synapse]] with neurotransmitter released ([[serotonin]]). '''5.''' Postsynaptic receptors activated by neurotransmitter (induction of a postsynaptic potential). '''6.''' [[Calcium channel]]. '''7.''' Exocytosis of a vesicle. '''8.''' Recaptured neurotransmitter.</small>
|}An '''amino acid neurotransmitter''' is a chemical substance which is able to transmit a nerve message across a [[synapse]].  [[Neurotransmitter]]s (chemicals) are packaged  into [[Synaptic vesicle|vesicles]] that cluster beneath the [[Axon terminals|axon terminal]] membrane on the presynaptic side of a [[synapse]] in a process called [[endocytosis]]. <ref>{{Cite web
| title = Axon Terminal : on Medical Dictionary Online  
| url = http://www.online-medical-dictionary.org/Axon+Terminal.asp?q=Axon+Terminal
| accessdate =2008-12-25 }}
</ref>   Amino acid neurotransmitter release ([[exocytosis]]) is dependent upon [[Calcium|calcium Ca<sup>2+</sup>]] and is a [[axon terminals|presynaptic]] response.  There are [[Inhibitory postsynaptic potential|inhibitory]] amino acids ([[Neurotransmitter#Excitatory_and_inhibitory|IAA]]) or [[excitatory postsynaptic potential|excitatory]] amino acids ([[Neurotransmitter#Excitatory_and_inhibitory|EAA]]).  Some EAA are [[Glutamic acid|L-Glutamate]], [[Aspartic acid|L-Aspartate]], [[Cysteine|L-Cysteine]], and [[Homocysteine|L-Homocysteine]].<ref name="Foye"/>These neurotransmitter systems will activate [[Chemical synapse|post-synaptic]] cells.<ref name="Boer">

{{cite book
|last=D'haenen
|first=Hugo
|others=Paul Willner
|title=Biological Psychiatry|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ZMSNFtyjtEAC
|format=digitised online by Google books
|accessdate=2008-12-26
|year= 2002
|month=
|publisher=John Wiley and Sons
|isbn=0471491985, 9780471491989
|page=415 
|first1= Johan A. ,lastn=den Boer

}}

</ref> Some IAA include [[Gamma-aminobutyric acid|GABA]], [[Glycine]], [[Beta-alanine|β-Alanine]], and [[Taurine]].<ref name="Foye">

{{cite book
|last=Foye
|first=William O.
|editor=
|others=David A. Williams
|title=Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry
|date=2007
|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
|location=
|language=
|isbn=0781768799, 9780781768795
|page=446
|first1= Thomas L.,lastn= Lemke
}}

</ref>  The IAA [[Depression (physiology)|depress]] the activity of [[Chemical synapse|post-synaptic cells]].<ref name="Boer"/>

:''See also [[Amino_acid#Non-protein_functions|Amino acid non protein functions]]''

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

{{AminoAcids}}
{{Cell signaling}}
{{Neurotransmitter systems}}

[[Category:Neurochemistry]]
[[Category:Molecular neuroscience]]
[[Category:Amino acids]]
[[Category:Acidic amino acids]]
[[Category:Neurotransmitters]]