Definition of "excitotoxicity" [excitotoxicity]

• The continuous stimulation of a nerve cell by a neurotransmitter, especially by glutamates (noun)

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• "In the new study, researchers initially tested nerve cell cultures transfected with mutant Huntingtin protein and found that reducing excessive NMDA-type glutamate receptor activity with Memantine and other antagonists protected the nerve cells (glutamate receptors are the main trigger of excitatory electrical activity in the brain but in excess can cause nerve cell death, a process called excitotoxicity)."
• "The event, called excitotoxicity, also occurs in other neurological diseases."
• "The word you need to know is excitotoxicity which means too much activity, it is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by glutamate and similar substances i.e. (MSG)."