Abstract
The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate is a potent and effective neurotoxin. When applied in vitro, a. brief exposure to a moderate concentration of glutamate is sufficient to kill neurons.1,2 In vivo, glutamate-induced neuronal injury probably contributes to damage that results from cerebrovascular accidents and trauma.2–4 A number of important studies have characterized the temporal and pharmacological characteristics of glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.5–6 It is now clear that glutamate-induced activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors for about 5 minutes is sufficient to kill neurons, and that death is expressed within 24 hours of glutamate application. Activation of non-NMDA receptors by, for example, kainate requires exposures of more than 30 minutes; death ensues over a similar time frame.
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Reynolds, I.J., Hoyt, K.R., White, R.J., Stout, A.K. (1996). Intracellular Signalling in Glutamate Excitotoxicity. In: Fiskum, G. (eds) Neurodegenerative Diseases. GWUMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Annual Spring Symposia. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0209-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0209-2_1
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