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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Derivation of Glial Restricted Precursors from E13 mice
Published on: June 20, 2012
Excitotoxicity in glial cells
Carlos Matute1, Elena Alberdi, Gaskon Ibarretxe
1Departamento de Neurociencias, Universidad del País Vasco, 48940-Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain. onpmaalc@lg.ehu.es
Abstract:
Excitotoxicity results from prolonged activation of glutamate receptors expressed by cells in the central nervous system (CNS). This cell death mechanism was first discovered in retinal ganglion cells and subsequently in brain neurons. In addition, it has been recently observed that CNS glial cells can also undergo excitotoxicity. Among them, oligodendrocytes are highly vulnerable to glutamate signals and alterations in glutamate homeostasis may contribute to demyelinating disorders. We review here the available information on excitotoxity in CNS glial cells and its putative relevance to glio-pathologies.
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