Glutamate Excitotoxicity; a Possible Mechanism for Apoptosis of Motoneurons in Adult Mouse Spinal Cord Slices

In experiments on mice spinal cord slices, it was found that intense apoptosis of motoneurons develops in these slices rather rapidly (6 hours). This process can be significantly suppressed by treatment with the NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist MK-801 (50 μM) and AMPA/kainite non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist CNQX (100 μM). Such treatment considerably increased the percentage of viable motoneurons in the ventral horns of the spinal cord. The results obtained confirm the statement that glutamate excitotoxicity could be a significant possible factor responsible for apoptosis of motoneurons under conditions of spinal cord impairment.