Metal Toxicity at the Synapse: Presynaptic, Postsynaptic, and Long-Term Effects
Figure 4
Postsynaptic ligand-gated ion channels as targets of neurotoxic metals. The main postsynaptic channels are the AMPA/kainate and NMDA receptors whereas the main inhibitory receptors are the GABAARs. Each receptor represents a target for multiple metals. The NMDAR has many modulatory sites identified as it is more extensively studied. NMDAR is composed of a heteromer made of NR1 and NR2, each having multiple subtypes. In the diagram blue arm represents NR1 while the red arm represents NR2, the main modulatory subunit. Most metals have been shown to have effects on NR2 subunit (for values regarding the specific subtypes refer to Section 3.1 and Table 5).
