CYCS and neurodegenerative disease: Our transcriptomic data also showed upregulation of genes associated with nitric oxide, cytochrome c, brain injury proteins like myelin basic protein, and proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease, including tau, amyloid-beta and apolipoprotein E. Excessive glutamate and neuro-excitotoxicity are thought to contribute to brain injury and cell death in both acute brain injury conditions, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and epilepsy, and chronic brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease26–28.