Nitric oxide: a neural messenger. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Nitric oxide (NO) is a messenger molecule that is now a well established neurotransmitter in the central and peripheral nervous systems. NO was initially characterized as the "endothelium-derived relaxation factor" and subsequently found to mediate the elevation in cGMP following glutamatergic stimulation in the nervous system. Pharmacological and immunohistochemical data suggest numerous roles for NO throughout the body. NO knockout mice have demonstrated that NO is essential in behavioral and autonomic function. NO also appears to have neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects and may have a role in the pathogenesis of stroke and other neurodegenerative disorders.

publication date

  • January 1, 1995

Research

keywords

  • Cyclic GMP
  • Nervous System Physiological Phenomena
  • Neurons
  • Neurotransmitter Agents
  • Nitric Oxide
  • Nitric Oxide Synthase

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0029619811

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1146/annurev.cb.11.110195.002221

PubMed ID

  • 8689564

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 11