PURPOSE To investigate the role of parkin in regulating mitochondrial homeostasis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) under glutamate excitotoxicity. METHODS Rat RGCs were purified from dissociated retinal tissue with a modified two-step panning protocol. Cultured RGCs were transfected with parkin using an adenovirus system. The distribution and morphology of mitochondria in the RGCs were assess...

NMDA excitotoxicity has been proposed to mediate the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma and ischemia. Here, we reexamine the effects of glutamate and NMDA on rat RGCs in vitro and in situ. We show that highly purified RGCs express NR1 and NR2 receptor subunits by Western blotting and immunostaining, and functional NMDA receptor channels by whole-cell patch-clamp recording. Never...

Progress is being made in identifying possible pathogenic factors and novel genes in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many of these could contribute to 'slow excitotoxicity', defined as neuronal loss due to overexcitation as a consequence of decreased energy production due, for instance, to changes in insulin receptor signaling; or receptor abnormalities, such as tau-induced alterat...

PURPOSE To analyze the main aspects of neuroprotection and excitotoxicity. DISCUSSION This is a significant theory on the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia; it is based on the release of excitatory aminoacid (EAA), mainly glutamate. The sequence starts with a decrease of the blood flow and ends in neuronal death. The main stages of this reaction are herein presented and discussed. An in de...

Glutamate excitotoxicity contributes to the neuronal injury and death associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. The glutamate transporter EAAT2, which is primarily localized on astrocytic processes, facilitates glutamate clearance from synapses, thus preventing neuronal damage. In this issue of the JCI, Kong et al. characterize a compound that upregulates EAAT2 translation, thereby incre...