NEUROTRANSMISSION AND THE ONTOGENY OF HUMAN BRAIN

The early appearance of neurotransmitters in brain tissue refers to th eir regulative functions on the neuronal circuits. Many neurotransmitt ers have direct effects on neuronal outgrowth and differentiation duri ng brain development, which precede their role in synaptic information coding. Both the neurotrophic and neurotoxic properties of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) have focused special interest on glutamatergic neu rotransmission during brain development. Therefore, this work intends to review and discuss developmental alterations of the EAA neurotransm itter system in the human brain, their relation to human brain maturat ion and implications for pathological processes during early human bra in development.