Glutamate/GABA Disbalance in Comparative Analysis of Radiation and Traumatic Brain Cortex Injury

• Published in: Human physiology Vol. 46; no. 7; pp. 736 - 740
• Main Author: Kokhan, V. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.12.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Autism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Central nervous system; Cognitive ability; Comparative analysis; Cytoplasm; Excitotoxicity; Glutamic acid receptors; Human Physiology; Hyperactivity; Life Sciences; Mental disorders; Metabolic disorders; Neocortex; Neurodegenerative diseases; Neurotransmitters; Propionic acid; Reviews; Risk factors; Schizophrenia; Sclerosis; Traumatic brain injury; α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid; γ-Aminobutyric acid; traumatic cortex injury; γ-aminobutyric acid; glutamate; ionizing radiation
• ISSN: 0362-1197; 1608-3164
• DOI: 10.1134/S0362119720070075

The review summarizes the glutamate/GABA data in response to brain injuries of different origins. Many nonpeptide neurotransmitters have toxic effects and their metabolic impairment is closely connected with the development and propagation of the neurodegenerative process. An example is excitotoxicity resulting from hyperactivity of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors. One of the excitotoxins is glutamate, an excitatory agent within the central nervous system (CNS). Another neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is metabolically associated with glutamate and acts as an inhibitor within the CNS. The glutamate/GABA system dominates in the neocortex and is crucial in the realization of cognitive functions in animals and human creative activity. Disbalance in this system is a key factor in the development of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, lateral amyotrophic sclerosis, etc. Impaired glutamate metabolism, along with an increase in the concentration of the glutamate free form in cytoplasm and extracellular space due to disturbing factors, is the main risk factor for CNS.