CASP3 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Consistent with our findings of elevated apoptotic cell counts and significantly elevated levels of caspase-3, along with further increased CaM-1 levels (Fig. 9B, D), which reflected elevated hippocampal intracellular calcium levels in MSG-exposed rats, previous studies have linked the high intracellular calcium levels induced by excessive glutaminergic stimulation with increased caspase activation and neuronal cell death in the pathological cascades of numerous neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), PD, and AD8.