NMR spectroscopy of brain glutamate function

Abstract

Glutamate has fundamentally important functions in the CNS. It is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter as well as a key metabolite linking carbon and nitrogen metabolism. The dual roles of glutamate as a neurotransmitter and metabolite are intricately connected. Its unusually high concentration and rapid turnover in brain make it accessible to both proton and 13C NMR spectroscopy methods. This has enabled researchers to study the various functions of glutamate in basic neuroscience and brain disorders noninvasively and in vivo. Here, we provide an overview of proton and heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques and their applications to studying glutamate metabolism and glutamatergic neurotransmission in brain with emphasis placed on recent progress.