Figure 4. The initial synchronization between electrode pairs determines the ability of memantine to protect.

Treatment with memantine at the same time as glutamate treatment is able to fully prevent against the loss of action potential synchrony observed in glutamate treated cultures. Treatment with memantine prior to glutamate treatment blocks the effects of glutamate treatment on the synchronization of electrode pairs that are initially weakly and moderately synchronized, but is unable to fully protect electrode pairs that are initially strongly synchronized. *= statistically different from control. # = statistically different from 300 µM glutamate. *** p<0.001, *p<0.05 determined by one-way ANOVA followed by Student-Newman-Keuls Multiple Comparison Test. Statistical analysis was performed on a per MEA basis (n=20 for control, n=21 for 300 µM glutamate, n=12 for concurrent 300 µM glutamate and 50 µM memantine treatment, n=12 for pretreatment with 50 µM memantine treatment followed by treatment with 300 µM glutamate).