Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Bucharest 2026

Biophysics of Membrane Reactions in Brian

Monday Speaker Abstracts

NMDA RECEPTOR: OPERATION AND MODULATORY MECHANISMS Gabriela K Popescu University at Buffalo, SUNY, Biochemistry, Amherst, NY, USA Response to external stimuli and adaptation are two key characteristics of life. In brain, ongoing electrical signal transmission, processing, and integration support moment by moment consciousness, perception, and learning. NMDA receptors are neurotransmitter receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter glutamate by opening an intrinsic transmembrane channel and thus generating a large calcium-rich excitatory current. Blocking this current pharmacologically produces immediate anesthesia and patients with single-residue variations in the primary structure of this neurotransmitter receptor suffer from severe developmental delays, cognitive impairments, and learning deficits. In this lecture, I will describe recent advances in understanding the operation of NMDA receptors and how this knowledge can be leveraged to modulate their stimulus response function for therapeutic gain.

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