Excitatory Amino Acids as a Final Common Pathway for Neurologic Disorders

Abstract

In many neurologic disorders, injury to neurons may be caused at least in part by overstimulation of receptors for excitatory amino acids, including glutamate and aspartate. These neurologic conditions range from acute insults such as stroke, hypogl ycemia, trauma, and epilepsy (Table 1) to chronic neurodegenerative states such as Huntington's disease, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) dementia complex, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and perhaps Alzheimer's disease (Table 2) 1 – 3 . Glutamate is the principal excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and its interactions with specific membrane receptors are responsible for many neurologic functions, including cognition, memory, movement, and sensation 4 . In addition, excitatory. © 1994, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.