Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and
disturbances in glutamate transport contribute to a number of
neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Appropriate levels of
cholesterol are very important for the proper functioning of glutamate
transport while unbalanced levels of cholesterol have been implicated in
the pathogenesis of disorders such as stroke, ischemia, traumatic brain
injury, and neurotoxicity. In the proposed book, the author presents
data from the literature and from her own lab to address the extent to
and way in which membrane cholesterol modulates presynaptic glutamate
transport and whether lowering the level of cholesterol available can
offer some neuroprotective benefits.