Excitotoxicity in glial cells

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of pharmacology 2002-07, Vol.447 (2), p.239-246
Main Authors: Matute, Carlos, Alberdi, Elena, Ibarretxe, Gaskon, Sánchez-Gómez, Marı́a Victoria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Transport System X-AG - physiology
Animals
Apoptosis
Astrocytes - pathology
Calcium - metabolism
Cell death
Demyelination
Glutamate
Glutamic Acid - toxicity
Homeostasis
Humans
Microglia - pathology
Neurodegenerative Diseases - etiology
Oligodendrocyte
Oligodendroglia - pathology
Receptor
Receptors, Glutamate - physiology
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Summary: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 signals and alterations in glutamate homeostasis may contribute to demyelinating disorders. We review here the available information on excitotoxity in CNS glial cells and its putative relevance to glio-pathologies.
ISSN:0014-2999
1879-0712
DOI:10.1016/S0014-2999(02)01847-2