The protein encoded by this gene is a critical subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, members of the glutamate receptor channel superfamily which are heteromeric protein complexes with multiple subunits arranged to form a ligand-gated ion channel. These subunits play a key role in the plasticity of synapses, which is believed to underlie memory and learning. Cell-specific factors are thought to control expression of different isoforms, possibly contributing to the functional diversity of the subunits. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been described.,GRIN1,GluN1,MRD8,NMD-R1,NMDA1,NMDAR1,NR1,NMDA 1,Neuroscience,Neurodegenerative Diseases,Amyloid Plaque and Neurofibrillary Tangle Formation in Alzheimer's Disease,Dopamine Signaling in Parkinson's Disease,Protein phosphorylation,GRIN1