Neuronal bioenergetic defects, excitotoxicity and Alzheimer's disease: "use it and lose it".

Although excitotoxicity has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, it is not likely to be the cause of this disorder. On the other hand, in the presence of the well-documented neuronal bioenergetic defects in Alzheimer's disease, normal concentrations of glutamate may become lethal, and excitotoxicity may become the final common pathway to cell death.