Metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 alpha: a unique receptor variant with variable implications for Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading neurodegenerative disorder globally. Despite this, there is minimal effective therapeutics proven to reduce or prevent the progression of this disease. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter within the central nervous system and plays a crucial role in neuronal and synaptic functions. As such, the glutamatergic system is finely regulated within normal physiology, with multiple mechanisms to prevent excessive or insufficient glutamatergic receptor activation. This perspective article aims to highlight pertinent findings regarding metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) expression and function in the AD brain, with a particular focus on the mGluR1α variant and its functional significance, concluding with a discussion regarding its potential as a therapeutic target in future AD studies.