N-type calcium channel

In the adult nervous system, N-type calcium channels are critically involved in the release of neurotransmitters, and in pain pathways.

[2][3] N-type calcium channels are the target of ziconotide, the drug prescribed to relieve intractable cancer pain.

[6] In the peripheral nervous system, N-type channels are known to be involved in the release of many neurotransmitters like glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

[7] In the kidneys, blocking of N-type calcium channels reduce glomerular pressure through dilation of arterioles.

[8] N-type calcium channels have been shown to play a part in the localization of neurite growth in the sympathetic nervous system and the skin and spinal cord.

The neurite outgrowth was shown to be inhibited through an interaction between laminin and the 11th loop of the n-type calcium channel structure.