Final answer:
Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and binds to specific receptors to conduct excitatory transmission. Examples of glutamate agonists include ethanol and barbiturates.
Step-by-step explanation:
Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS. It is stored and released from glutamatergic neurons. Glutamate binds to specific receptors in the postsynaptic membrane to conduct excitatory transmission. Two examples of glutamate agonists are ethanol and barbiturates.An agonist is a substance that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Glutamate is the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), playing a key role in neurotransmission and cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Glutamate agonists are compounds that mimic the action of glutamate by binding to glutamate receptors (GluRs), inducing the same physiological responses as glutamate.
There are two major types of GluRs: the ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), which mediate fast synaptic transmission, and the metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), which modulate slower synaptic responses through second messenger systems.