Which neurotransmitter is listed as involved in wake behavior and is a key excitatory transmitter?

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Glutamate is the chief excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain and is central to wakefulness. It drives fast excitatory signaling through receptors like AMPA and NMDA, supporting cortical arousal and the activation of wake-promoting circuits. In sleep-wake regulation, areas involved in keeping you awake rely on glutamatergic transmission to stimulate the cortex and subcortical arousal networks; in many pathways, orexin-containing neurons promote wakefulness in part by exciting glutamatergic neurons, amplifying arousal.

Adenosine, by contrast, accumulates during prolonged wakefulness and promotes sleep, acting in a way that tends to dampen neuronal activity; caffeine’s wake-promoting effect comes from blocking adenosine receptors. GABA is the major inhibitory transmitter, helping promote sleep by dampening arousal systems. Dopamine modulates alertness and motivation but is not the primary excitatory transmitter responsible for wake behavior.