Dopamine protects neurons against glutamate-induced excitotoxicity

• Published in: Cell death & disease Vol. 4; no. 1; p. e455
• Main Authors: Vaarmann, A, Kovac, S, Holmström, K M, Gandhi, S, Abramov, A Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 01.01.2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - drug effects; Calcium - metabolism; Cells, Cultured; Dopamine - pharmacology; Glutamic Acid - toxicity; Hippocampus - drug effects; Hippocampus - metabolism; Mesencephalon - drug effects; Mesencephalon - metabolism; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - metabolism; Original; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Dopamine - chemistry; Receptors, Dopamine - metabolism; Signal Transduction - drug effects

Glutamate excitotoxicity is responsible for neuronal death in acute neurological disorders including stroke, trauma and neurodegenerative disease. Loss of calcium homeostasis is a key mediator of glutamate-induced cell death. The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) is known to modulate calcium signalling...