[Glutamate antagonists--a new stage in the development of cerebral protection?]

This is a survey of 35 papers, published in medical journals worldwide over the past 5 years, in an attempt to disclose the current level of understanding the fine biochemical mechanism underlying neuronal lesions, as well as to outline the possible trends of cerebroprotective therapy evolution, as put forward by the authors of the cited works. A number of researches demonstrate the role of glutamate and other excitatory amino acids in neuronal lesions' development during hypoxia, hypoglycemia, cranio-cerebral trauma and the like. It is logical to presume that the antagonists of glutamate receptors and their relationship to ionic canals may be considered as having an essential bearing on the build-up of a complex cerebroprotective strategy, corroborated in turn by a number of studies on cell cultures in vitro, and in numerous animal models as well. The already known and clinically used phencyclidine compounds, and first and foremost, the general anesthetic ketamine, spark a great surge of interest along these lines.