AMPA and NMDA receptors: similarities and differences in their synaptic distribution

Recent technical developments, including antigen-retrieval and electron microscopic immunogold methods, are making it possible to determine some of the basic principles governing the subcellular distribution of ionotropic glutamate receptors. Distinct AMPA and NMDA receptor subtypes are selectively targeted to functionally different synapses of a single cell, resulting in an input-selective fine-tuning and regulation of the postsynaptic responses. The amount, density and variability of AMPA receptors at a given glutamatergic synapse is governed by both pre- and postsynaptic factors, resulting in functionally distinct glutamatergic connections that display characteristic patterns of receptor expression.