Excitotoxicity in Neurological Diseases: New Therapeutic Challenge

The odd word "excitotoxicity" has widely circulated among neuroscientists in the past twenty years and has finally entered also the clinical setting. Why do we need a book on excitotoxicity now? Despite numerous reviews on basic mechanisms and clinical aspects of the phenomenon, so far no comprehensive book has covered the topic in all its complexity, starting from basic pharmacological mechanisms, to animal models of diseases and finally to clinical pathogenic and therapeutic implications.

The book is intended both for scientists already involved in the field, who may want a broader knowledge of all the aspects related to this complex mechanism, as well as for PhD or MD students, residents and neurologists wishing to learn more about a common mechanism involved in neuronal damage, driven by scientific curiosity or by the need to understand how new drugs, already on the market, may or may not work in various neurological disorders.

With this aim, the book is basically divided into two parts, designed to be mutually integrated: + The first part covers all basic mechanisms of excitotoxicity, from glutamate metabolism, release, activity on various pre- and post-synaptic receptors, reuptake and their regulations, + The second part focuses on each neurologic disorder where this mechanism seems to play a major role, by examining in details pre-clinical and clinical evidences as well as treatment strategies in animal models and in patients.

To accomplish this complex task, world leaders in various fields, who did major contributions to define the problem and to open new avenues and are also actively working at present, agreed to put their expertise to launch the first complete and advanced level book on the role of excitotoxicity in neurologic diseases.