Abstract
The activity of glutamatergic synapses is crucial to the function of the central nervous system of vertebrates especially. Dysfunctions of this synaptic transmission are associated with almost all brain pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. Pharmacological agents aimed at a proper activity of these synapses can thus be beneficial to alleviate the symptoms of multiple diseases. In fact, there are many sites within a synapse or nearby which can be targeted by pharmacological agents to modulate the excitatory transmission. They include both neuronal and glial targets. As shown below, we focus on specific sites which can be modulated by new chemical leads, most of them being designed from naturally-occurring molecules.