Question

Describe how the NMDA type of glutamate receptor is the physiological mechanism of forming associative memories.

Answer 1

Answer: see explanation below

Explanation: the synapse is the junction between the terminal of a neuron and either another neuron or a muscle or gland cell, over which nerve impulses pass. Typically when the same experiences trigger nerve responses over synapses, they are remembered (strengthened) leading to even faster responses very much like the muscle memory. The NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are glutamate-gated cation channels with high calcium permeability, very critical for the development of the central nervous system and various processes vital to learning, memory, and the formation of neural networks during development in the central nervous system (CNS). Since memories are assumed to be represented by vastly interconnected neural circuits in the brain, synaptic plasticity is key to learning and memory. In this, the NMDA receptor is very crucial for controlling synaptic plasticity (the ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken, in response to increases or decreases in their activity over time) and memory function.