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Nature Neuroscience 11, 381–382 (1 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/nn0408-381

NMDA receptor activity regulates transcription of antioxidant pathways

Stuart A Lipton

Oxidative damage has long been considered to be a primary enemy of neurons, both in neurodegenerative disorders and during normal aging. Free radicals, derived during normal metabolism from oxygen and nitrogen, are thought to trigger a series of events that disrupt normal cell function, including enzymatic activity, protein folding, transcriptional events, ion channel activity, transporter function and other processes.