Glutamate and NMDA Receptors and Diabetes

It’s all about location and balance,” says Dr. Smith. If glutamate accumulates outside of the cell, it can over-stimulate the cell by binding to a glutamate receptor. One such receptor, the NMDA receptor, is particularly sensitive to excessive levels of glutamate. Over-stimulation of NMDA receptors allows too much calcium to enter the cells where it triggers formerly dormant cell-death pathways.