Energy metabolism, ion homeostasis, and cell damage in the brain.

observed neither on metabolic deprivation nor on depolarization, but only after treatment with excitotoxins [7,9]. In related experiments (results not shown) using ‘T-m.r. to study flux through metabolic pathways, we observed quite different patterns between these various insults. NMDA caused rapidly decreased N-acetylaspartate and increased lactate, with slow decreases in pool sizes of amino acids [lo], in marked contrast to the changes caused by severe hypoxia [ l l ] or depolarization