Decreasing glutamate 'minimises brain injury'RSS Feed

Two new studies have supported an innovative approach to brain injury and stroke that works by decreasing glutamate levels in brain fluid.

Much of the brain injury during stroke and head trauma is due to too much glutamate in the brain.

Professor Vivian Teichberg of the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department came up with the idea of transporting neurotransmitter glutamate from the brain to the blood using tiny "pumps".

He hypothesised that naturally-occurring enzyme called glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) could lower the levels of glutamate in the blood.

Two new studies by Fransisco Campos and others from the University of Santiago de Compostela supported these findings.

It was concluded that by using GOT, the patient's chance of recovering could be increased and speeded up.

Meanwhile, fluorescent peptides could be used to make nerves glow during surgery for brain injury to prevent further damage occurring, a study published in journal Nature Biotechnology.

Serious Law, award winning brain injury law firm

Posted by Matthew Heap
 

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