Identical twins are on a balcony watching a parade. Suddenly, the balcony collapses and both twins fall to the ground, suffering identical traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). The twins are rushed to the hospital, dazed but still conscious. After being admitted, the twins agree to participate in a clinical study testing a treatment for TBIs. One twin is given the test drug and the other a placebo. One month later, an MRI shows that the twin given the placebo has significant brain damage, while the twin given the test drug has no brain damage. What might be the mechanism by which the test drug protected the brain?
A) activating AMPA receptors
B) inhibiting voltage-gated K+ channels
C) activating NMDA receptors
D) degrading D-serine
E) none of the above
