Excitotoxicity

Excitotoxicity ( driving from the Latin and Greek excitare = toxikon = poison), German also called excitotoxicity, is a term from the neurosciences. He describes the phenomenon that are in sensory overload as many neurotransmitters, particularly glutamate / kainic acid, poured out that a self-destruct mechanism of nerve cells is triggered. Attacks of this process continues to be larger brain areas may be affected.

Excitotoxicity plays a role in spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system ( CNS) such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS), Parkinson's disease, alcoholism, Huntington 's disease. Even with the hypoglycemia and status epilepticus increased glutamate concentration was found around the neurons.