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ShareExcitotoxicity is the pathological process by which neurons are damaged and killed by the overactivations of receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, such as the NMDA receptor and AMPA receptor.
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Excitotoxins like NMDA and kainic acid which bind to these receptors, as well as pathologically high levels of glutamate, can cause excitotoxicity by allowing high levels of calcium ions to enter the cell.
Ca++ influx into cells activates a number of enzymes, including phospholipases, endonucleases, and proteases such as calpain.
These enzymes go on to damage cell structures such as components of the cytoskeleton, membrane, and DNA. Excitotoxicity may be involved in stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.
Other common conditions that cause excessive glutamate concentrations around neurons are hypoglycemia and status epilepticus.
For more information about the topic Excitotoxicity and cell damage, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Glutamic acid — Glutamate is a key molecule in cellular metabolism. In humans, dietary proteins are broken down by digestion into amino acids, which serves as ... > read more
Neurotransmitter — Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between a neuron and another cell. Substances that ... > read more
Neurobiology — Neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and ... > read moreEditor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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