Effect of memantine on calcium signaling in hippocampal neurons cultured with β-amyloid

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is characterized by accumulating amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Excessive stimulation of glutamate receptors, mainly NMDA-type, causes intense entry of calcium ions into cells and is a key early step in glutamateinduced excitotoxicity, resulting in many neurological diseases, including AD. Memantine, an NMDA receptor antagonist, blocks NMDA receptors and reduce the influx of calcium ions into neuron. In our experiments, we have modeled AD on cultured rat hippocampal neurons to test the effects of memantine on calcium signaling in neurons. Our results show that the neuroprotective effect of memantine could be provided not only through the inhibition of NMDA receptor current but also through the suppression of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, most likely L-type. This study suggests that NMDA receptor antagonist memantine can protect hippocampal neurons from calcium overloading induced by Aβ1–42 amyloid exposure via blocking Ca2+ channels