Activation of kainate receptors by glutamate may even cause the fatal seizure activity in brain ischemia, an very important possibility if true. The Morris Water Maze is defined and discussed in the comments to Figure 1 on page 4, this issue. For LTP, repeated input to one synapse makes it more likely to respond to the next input, in a way which can last for a week or more. Neuroscientists have studied these for a long time because they are so far the only known synaptic response which might fit the requirements for memory. Later work found others.
Pyramidal cells are one major class of neurons in our cortex.
Purkinje cells form a major class of neurons in our cerebellum. The striatum is a part of brain between spinal cord and cortex. It contains many areas with special function in emotion and drives.