From tau to toxicity: emerging roles of NMDA receptor in Alzheimer's disease.

ABSTRACT

Glutamate toxicity through NMDA receptor channels has long been central to the understanding of acute neuronal injury. Recent studies implicate similar events in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we analyze some of the most intriguing evidence for NMDA receptor-mediated cellular dysfunction and propose a mechanism by which hyperactive NMDA receptors might lead to neurofibrillary degeneration in Alzheimer's disease.