Ikonomidou C, Bosch F, Miksa M, Bittigau P, Vöckler J, Dikranian K, Tenkova T I, Stefovska V, Turski L, Olney J W
Department of Pediatric Neurology, Charité-Virchow Clinics, Humboldt University, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Science. 1999 Jan 1;283(5398):70-4. doi: 10.1126/science.283.5398.70.
Programmed cell death (apoptosis) occurs during normal development of the central nervous system. However, the mechanisms that determine which neurons will succumb to apoptosis are poorly understood. Blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors for only a few hours during late fetal or early neonatal life triggered widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing rat brain, suggesting that the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, acting at NMDA receptors, controls neuronal survival. These findings may have relevance to human neurodevelopmental disorders involving prenatal (drug-abusing mothers) or postnatal (pediatric anesthesia) exposure to drugs that block NMDA receptors.
程序性细胞死亡（凋亡）发生在中枢神经系统的正常发育过程中。然而，决定哪些神经元会死于凋亡的机制却知之甚少。在胎儿晚期或新生儿早期仅阻断N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸（NMDA）谷氨酸受体几个小时，就会在发育中的大鼠脑中引发广泛的凋亡性神经退行性变，这表明作用于NMDA受体的兴奋性神经递质谷氨酸控制着神经元的存活。这些发现可能与涉及产前（滥用药物的母亲）或产后（小儿麻醉）接触阻断NMDA受体药物的人类神经发育障碍有关。
