Ionotropic glutamate receptors, a family of ligand gated ion channels, are located in the post-synaptic neural membrane and play important roles in the majority of fast excitatory neurotransmissions in the central nervous system. This family is comprised of three different subfamilies that each serve distinct roles at glutamatergic synapses. AMPA receptors mediate fast depolarization, NMDA receptors mediate the slower component of the excitatory postsynaptic potential, and kainate receptors have a major fast modulatory role at both presynaptic and postsynaptic sites.

The work summarized in the following report includes a number of conclusions. Both damaged and natural DNA base pairs were computationally examined with density functional theory. It was found that these base pairs most closely model thermal experimental results when the ribose ring attached to form the nucleotide is substituted with a methoxymethylene and methoxy linkages at the 4’ and 3’ positions.