Abstract— The uptake of the neurotransmitter candidates glutamate and aspartate into synaptosomes and bulk‐isolated glia was considerably more rapid than the uptake of the suspected transmitter‐precursor glutamine at low concentrations (10 μM). Glial uptake in all cases was one‐fifth to one‐third of synaptosomal, whereas isolated neurons attained very low tissue: medium ratios, probably reflecting damage to the neurons sustained during isolation. The glial and synaptosomal uptakes of glutamate both obeyed dual high‐ and low‐affinity kinetics and were negligible in the absence of external sodium, whereas glutamine was taken up in either case by an exclusively low‐affinity transport system exhibiting no sodium‐dependence. Glutamine was considerably metabolized to glutamate following transport by both glia and synaptosomes whereas glutamate remained unmetabolized

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