Prevention of Post-Traumatic Excitotoxic Brain Damage with NMDA Antagonist Drugs: A New Strategy for the Nineties

Excitotoxic mechanisms due to overactivity of the amino acid neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate maybe responsible for brain damage after injury. In this review we examine ischaemia and shear injury, which are relevant to human head injury. The opportunities for treatment using glutamate antagonist drugs are discussed.