REHOVOT, Israel, Jan. 17 Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have developed a method for ridding the brain of excess glutamate following a brain trauma.When brain cells die, whether from head trauma, stroke or disease, a substance called glutamate floods the surrounding areas, overloading the cells in its path and setting off a chain reaction that damages whole swaths of tissue. Glutamate is always present in the brain, where it carries nerve impulses across the gaps between cells. But when this chemical is released by damaged or dying brain cells, the result is a flood that overexcites nearby cells and kills them, according to Vivian Teichberg.The new method takes a completely new approach to the problem, compared with previous attempts based on drugs that must enter the brain to prevent the deleterious action of glutamate.Teichberg says the researchers have shown that in rats, an enzyme in the blood can be activated to mop up toxic glutamate spills in the brain and prevent much of the damage. This method may soon be entering clinical trials to see if it can do the same for humans, says Teichberg. Copyright 2007 by UPI
