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. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008],GluN1, MRD8, NMD-R1, NMDA1, NMDAR1, NR1,Neurodegenerative Diseases,Neurodegenerative Diseases_Amyloid Plaque and Neurofibrillary Tangle Formation in Alzheimers Disease,Neurodegenerative Diseases_Dopamine Signaling in Parkinsons Disease,Neuroscience,Protein phosphorylation,GRIN1