The loss of nerve cells in the brain is the main event causing life-long deficits and neurological problems after stroke. Weilinger et al. show that NMDA receptors cause nerve cell death during stroke in an unexpected way. Although they require ligand binding and recruitment of downstream pannexin channels, NMDA receptors do not use the receptor's ion channel.
- Nicholas L Weilinger
- Alexander W Lohman
- Roger J Thompson
