Zorumski C F, Olney J W
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110.
Pharmacol Ther. 1993 Aug;59(2):145-62. doi: 10.1016/0163-7258(93)90043-d.
Excitatory amino acids (EAA) serve important physiological functions in the vertebrate CNS, including participation in fast excitatory synaptic transmission, modulation of synaptic plasticity and regulation of neuronal morphology during development. However, paradoxically they also harbor neurotoxic (excitotoxic) potential, which, if unleashed, can cause widespread degeneration of CNS neurons. Accumulating evidence suggests a role for excitotoxins in a variety of human neuropsychiatric disorders. This paper reviews the classes of EAA receptors in the CNS, the mechanisms underlying EAA-mediated neuronal damage and the role of EAA in specific human disorders.
兴奋性氨基酸（EAA）在脊椎动物中枢神经系统中发挥重要的生理功能，包括参与快速兴奋性突触传递、调节突触可塑性以及在发育过程中调控神经元形态。然而，矛盾的是，它们也具有神经毒性（兴奋性毒性）潜力，一旦释放，可导致中枢神经系统神经元广泛退化。越来越多的证据表明兴奋性毒素在多种人类神经精神疾病中起作用。本文综述了中枢神经系统中EAA受体的类别、EAA介导的神经元损伤的潜在机制以及EAA在特定人类疾病中的作用。
