Selective blockade of astrocytic glutamate transporter GLT-1 with dihydrokainate prevents neuronal death during ouabain treatment of astrocyte/neuron cocultures.

Glutamate (Glu) is a major excitatory neurotransmitter of the mammalian central nervous system and under normal conditions plays an important role in information processing in the brain. Therefore, extracellular Glu is subject to strong homeostasis. Astrocytes in the brain have been considered to be mainly responsible for the clearance of extracellular Glu.