More than 4,000,000 Americans are victims of Alzheimer's disease, with that number expected to double over the next 20 years with the aging of the U.S. population. More than 2,000,000 Americans have schizophrenia.
Neurotransmitters bind to proteins, called receptors, on the surface of receiving neurons.
This binding of neurotransmitters to receptors triggers subsequent molecular events in the receiving neurons. The brain uses several different neurotransmitters for communication. Each acts on a different highly specific subset of receptors, much like a key only works in certain locks. Many important drugs have been developed around the various neurotransmitter families. Glutamate is the predominant neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain.