Oligodendrocyte NMDA receptors: a novel therapeutic target.
Excessive glutamate signaling can lead to excitotoxicity, a phenomenon whereby over-activation of glutamate receptors initiates neuronal death. In recent years, it has been shown that glutamate can be toxic to white-matter oligodendrocytes. Up to recently, the prevailing view was that oligodendrocyte excitotoxicity is mediated by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainate glutamate receptor types. Three recent studies have shown that oligodendrocytes also express N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are activated under pathological conditions. Thus, NMDA receptors seem to be a promising target for the development of new drugs to treat white-matter damage in acute and chronic diseases.
Matute
Carlos
C
Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco, 48940-Leioa, Spain. carlos.matute@ehu.es
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000737:chemistry; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate