MECHANISMS OF NEURONAL CELL INJURY DEATH AND TARGETS FOR DRUG INTERVENTION/

The loss of neurons is responsible for many acute neurological disorde rs, as well as many chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Drug discovery research has concentrated on blocking necrosis produced by activation of one or more excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors. Both receptor a ntagonists and compounds reducing EAA release are currently in clinica l trials. With the recent advances in the understanding of apoptosis n ew strategies for neuroprotection are also emerging. It is anticipated that clinically useful neuroprotective drugs will soon be available f or treatment of a range of CNS disorders, This article reviews some of the mechanisms responsible for neuronal cell death and outlines strat egies to block calcium overload and free radical production.