G. Biggio. Dept, of Experimental Med., Cagliari, Italy

G. Collingridge. University Hospital Dept, of Anatomy, Bristol, United Kingdom

R. Rupprecht. Klinikum der Universität Klinik für Psychiatrie, München, Germany

J. Kornhuber. Deparment of Psychiatry, Unive, Erlangen, Germany

The family of ligand-gated ion channels comprises the GABA type A receptor, glutamate receptors, eg. the NMDA receptor, the serotonin tye 3 receptor, the nicotinic acetycholine receptor and glycine receptors. This symposium will highlight the role of ligandgated ion channels for the action of psychopharmacological drugs. Giovanni Biggio will elucidate the role of various subunits of the GABA type A receptor for the action of benzodiazepines and the importance of the hormone status for benzodiazepine action. Graham Collingridge will address the significance of glutamate receptors, e.g. NMDA receptors, and of compounds targeting this receptor for synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Rainer Rupprecht will show how antidepressants and antipsychotics target the serotonin type 3 receptor in an allosteric fashion which challenges the concept of target specificity of psycho-pharmacological drugs. Johannes Kornhuber will delineate the potential of modulators of NMDA receptor function such as memantine for the treatment of dementia disorders and as antipsychotic agents. In summary, this workshop will introduce the family of ligand-gated ion channels as novel targets for psychotropic drugs.