MAPK3 and neurodegenerative disease: Also, excessive glutamate causes up-regulation of the phosphoinositide-3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2, and autophagy cascades that are involved in neurodegenerative diseases pathophysiology, as well (3, 5).