Dr. Lieberman, now of the Ali center,used to have a website with a wealth of info drawn from his many years of experience with thousands of patients. When he announced the impending closure of the site, I archived a bunch of it and had not looked at it since. Dusted it off today-


"dyskinesia , a rapid, jerk-like movement of brief duration is more LIKELY to be regulated by the AMPA receptors: receptors that generate brief currents. Whereas a dystonia , a prolonged twisting movement is more LIKELY to be regulated by the NMDA receptors: receptors that generate prolonged currents. It's unknown, at this time, whether AMPA receptors actually incite dyskinesia or whether NMDA receptors actually incite dystonia. It's thought, however, that, given the types of current the receptors generate it's more likely AMPA receptors regulate dyskinesias while NMDA receptors regulate dystonias.

Current is carried through AMPA receptors mainly by the movement of sodium ions from outside the cell into the cell. Some AMPA receptors in regions of the brain such as the striatum, the hippocampus (where memory is stored), and the cerebellum (which coordinates movement) are also affected by the movement of the calcium ion. This movement plays a key role in the regulation of several second messenger systems (chemicals inside the cell that carry messages from one part of the cell to another)."