Glutamate excitotoxicity is a major pathogenic process implicated in many neurodegenerative conditions, including AD (Alzheimer's disease) and following traumatic brain injury. Occurring predominantly from over-stimulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors located along dendrites, excitotoxic axonal degeneration may also occur in white matter tracts. Recent identification of axonal glutamate re...

Glutamate induced excitotoxicity is common in diverse neurological disorders. RNF146 as an E3 ubiquitin ligase protects neurons against excitotoxicity via interfering with Poly (ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymer-induced cell death (parthanatos). However, the neuroprotective role of RNF146 has not been fully understood. We aimed to investigate the role of RNF146 in modulating autophagy in HT22 cells und...

Stroke and many neurodegenerative diseases culminate in neuronal death through a mechanism known as excitotoxicity. Excitotoxicity proceeds through a complex signaling pathway that includes the participation of the serine protease tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). tPA mediates neurotoxic effects on resident central nervous system cells as well alters blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, wh...

Initial studies of glutamate receptors activated by kainate (KA) found them to be Ca2+ impermeable. Activation of these receptors was thought to produce Ca2+ influx into neurons only indirectly by Na(+)-dependent depolarization. However, Ca2+ entry via AMPA/KA receptors has now been demonstrated in several neuronal types, including cerebellar Purkinje cells. We have investigated whether such Ca...

Abnormal structure and function of astrocytes have been observed within the lamina cribrosa region of the optic nerve head (ONH) in glaucomatous neurodegeneration. Glutamate excitotoxicity-mediated mitochondrial alteration has been implicated in experimental glaucoma. However, the relationships among glutamate excitotoxicity, mitochondrial alteration and ONH astrocytes in the pathogenesis of gl...

The study was performed to investigate the possible neuroprotective role of palmatine, a protoberberine alkaloid against aluminum-induced aberration in neurotransmitter levels, excitotoxicity, neuronal inflammation, damage, and degeneration. 100 mg/kg aluminum chloride served as inducing agent administered orally male Wistar albino rats for 42 consecutive days. Animals were divided into four gr...

Excitotoxicity results from prolonged activation of glutamate receptors expressed by cells in the central nervous system (CNS). This cell death mechanism was first discovered in retinal ganglion cells and subsequently in brain neurons. In addition, it has been recently observed that CNS glial cells can also undergo excitotoxicity. Among them, oligodendrocytes are highly vulnerable to glutamate ...

Background: The adult spinal cord contains a population of ependymal-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (epNSPCs) with the potential to enhance endogenous regeneration. However, little is known about mechanisms that regulate activation these after injury. Recently, we discovered glutamate excitotoxicity, hallmark in pathophysiology acute SCI, promotes epNSPC proliferation/survival. Here, char...