[1] There are several types of glutamatergic ion channels in the central nervous system including AMPA, kainic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) channels.

In the synapse, these receptors serve very different purposes.

AMPA can be used experimentally to distinguish the activity of one receptor from the other in order to understand their differing functions.

[2] AMPA generates fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP).

AMPA was first synthesized, along with several other ibotenic acid derivatives, by Krogsgaard-Larsen, Honoré, and others toward differentiating glutamate sensitive receptors from aspartate sensitive receptors.