Recent Advance in the Relationship between Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters and Parkinson’s Disease

Figure 2

EAATs are therapeutic targets in PD. Excessive glutamate in the synaptic cleft overstimulates glutamate receptors in the postsynaptic membrane and mediates excitotoxicity. Glutamate excitotoxicity can induce the dopamine neurons death, movement disorder, and cognitive impairment, and thus it contributes to the pathogenesis of PD. Through upregulation of EAATs, ceftriaxone, LDN/OSU-0212320, and other drugs can reduce the DA neuron death in SNpc and striatum, improve the movement disorder and cognitive impairment in PD, and thus improve the PD progression. Thus, EAATs are therapeutic targets in PD.