Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41188625›Full record

ReviewActa pharmacologica Sinica2026

New advances in small molecule drugs targeting NMDA receptors.

Yue Zeng, Zhi-Yan Qu, Qian-Wen Zhu, Hai-Ying Wang, Yu Zhou, Zhao-Bing Gao

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Acta pharmacologica Sinica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Hemiplegic migraine: genetics and pathophysiology.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yue Zeng *State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Zhi-Yan Qu *State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Qian-Wen ZhuState Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Hai-Ying WangState Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China.
Yu ZhouState Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. zhouyu@simm.ac.cn.
Zhao-Bing GaoState Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201203, China. zbgao@simm.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are glutamate-gated ion channels that are ubiquitously expressed throughout the central nervous system (CNS) and serve as crucial mediators of neural development and synaptic plasticity. Dysregulation of NMDA receptor activity has been implicated in a wide spectrum of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In recent years, substantial progress has been made in the clinical development of small-molecule modulators targeting NMDA receptors. In this review, we summarize recent advances in this rapidly evolving field. Among various therapeutic indications, depression has emerged as an especially active area of investigation, with mechanistically diverse compounds ranging from broad-spectrum channel blockers (ketamine, dextromethorphan, esmethadone) to glycine site modulators (rapastinel, 4-chlorokynurenine, D-cycloserine) and allosteric modulators (apimostinel, zelquistinel), progressing through clinical pipelines. Beyond depression, NMDA receptor-targeted drug discovery is also advancing in other challenging CNS disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases (salzanemdor, NYX-458), pain (NYX-2925), epilepsy (radiprodil), and stroke (nelonemdaz, NP10679). Collectively, these developments reflect the maturation of NMDA receptor pharmacology and reaffirm the broad therapeutic potential of NMDA receptor modulation, while highlighting promising directions for future drug discovery.

Indexed as

Receptors, N-Methyl-D-AspartateAnimalsCentral Nervous System DiseasesDrug DiscoveryHumansReceptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartateallosteric modulatorchannel blockerCNS disordersdepressionN-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptorsmall-molecule modulators

Identifiers

PMID41188625
PMCPMC12764577

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.