Can gold nanoparticles prevent nerve cell degeneration?

Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology (Genoa, Italy) recently designed and prepared gold nanoparticles for selective inhibition of extrasynaptic glutamate receptors, to prevent nerve cell damage and degeneration. Excitotoxicity occurs when neurons become excessively stimulated by the neurotransmitter glutamate, which can cause nerve cell damage and degeneration. The pathology of many neurological and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease, epilepsy, brain trauma and stroke, is often caused by excitotoxicity. The international collaboration coordinated by Roberto Fiammengo (Italian Institute of Technology) with institutions such as the University of Genoa (Italy), Imperial College London (UK), King's College London (UK)...