Question

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons are progressively destroyed. Excess levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate have been implicated in this process. Which type of neuroglia would play a role in controlling glutamate levels in the chemical environment of neurons?

Answer 1

Answer:

The best answer to your question: Which type of neuroglia would play a role in controlling glutamate levels in the chemical environment, would be: Astrocytes.

Explanation:

From among the neuroglia, or support cells in the brain, whose purpose is to aid neurons in their different functions, astrocytes are not just one of the most numerous, but also one of the most vital for neuronal support. Amongst one of their most central functions is to help in the control of neurotransmitter emition and retention in the synaptic cleft, between two communicating neurons, and therefore, helps regulate the responses from post-synaptic, and pre-synaptic neurons. It is also responsible for clearing up the presence of ions in the extracellular space, and producing ATP, which regulates the amount of neurotransmitters that are released, and taken, by pre-synaptic, and post-synaptic neurons.

In ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) the issue with glutamate, a neurotransmitter that excites post-synaptic neurons into releasing excess amounts of calcium, is that this hyper-excitatory response leads neurons, particularly motor neurons, to die, and this is what causes ALS. It has been found through research that astrocytes have to do in this process, but it is not clear yet whether there is a failure in their control system, as ALS is still a condition that is very much under study and still without a cure.