Neurotoxicity of N-methyl-D-aspartate is markedly enhanced in developing rat central nervous system.
The neurotoxic lesion produced by direct injection of 25 nmol of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) into the corpus striatum of 7-day-old rats was compared to the effects of injecting 75 nmol into the striatum or hippocampus of adults. The area of histopathology in the immature striatum was 21 X larger than the striatal lesion in adults. Damage from NMDA injected into the immature striatum also extended into the dorsal hippocampus and produced an area of destruction which was 16 X larger than observed after direct injection into the adult hippocampus. Several studies have implicated excessive N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation in the pathogenesis of hypoxic-ischemic and hypoglycemic injury and our results suggest that this neurotoxic mechanism is extremely active in the immature brain.
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008845:Microinjections; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*
D009498:Neurotoxins; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate