Steven Bussinger
Member
To get some context, read "Protecting the Brain from a Glutamate Storm"
TLDR Glutamate is confined to brain cells and kept out of extracellular space at a ratio of 10,000:1. When a cell dies or is ruptured, this glutamate spills out into the extracellular space and causes other cells to die, thus propagating the process and creating a Glutamate Storm. Of note: during regular activities the brain busily throws glutamate out into the circulatory system via the blood brain barrier, and the rate is determined by the gradient between the circulatory blood and the brain. So if you're able to lower the circulatory blood's level of glutamate, more glutamate will flow out of the brain.
According to the abstract of this study Effect of estrogens on blood glutamate levels in relation to neurological outcome after TBI in male rats estrogen is neuroprotective since it lowers the glutamate in the blood, thus accelerating the gradient mentioned above.
Of course, this is all in the context of a traumatic brain injury. Estrogen, and other stress substances, are adaptive in traumatic or stressful events.
TLDR Glutamate is confined to brain cells and kept out of extracellular space at a ratio of 10,000:1. When a cell dies or is ruptured, this glutamate spills out into the extracellular space and causes other cells to die, thus propagating the process and creating a Glutamate Storm. Of note: during regular activities the brain busily throws glutamate out into the circulatory system via the blood brain barrier, and the rate is determined by the gradient between the circulatory blood and the brain. So if you're able to lower the circulatory blood's level of glutamate, more glutamate will flow out of the brain.
According to the abstract of this study Effect of estrogens on blood glutamate levels in relation to neurological outcome after TBI in male rats estrogen is neuroprotective since it lowers the glutamate in the blood, thus accelerating the gradient mentioned above.
Of course, this is all in the context of a traumatic brain injury. Estrogen, and other stress substances, are adaptive in traumatic or stressful events.