The ion channels activated by glutamate are typically divided into two classes. Those that are sensitive to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) are designated NMDA receptors (NMDAR) while those activated by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxalone propionic acid (AMPA) are known as AMPA receptors (AMPAR). The AMPAR are comprised of four distinct glutamate receptor subunits designated (GluR1-4) and they play key roles in virtually all excitatory neurotransmission in the brain (Keinänen et al., 1990,Hollmann and Heinemann, 1994). The GluR2 subunit is thought to play a key role in forms of synaptic plasticity such as LTD (Chung et al., 2003)Synonyms: AMPA-selective glutamate receptor 2, AMPA2, GRIA2, GluR-B, GluR-K2, Glutamate receptor ionotropic