Glutamate evokes a self-protective autoimmune response in mice and rats genetically resistant to EAE induction. Normal adult SPD rats and adult SPD rats that had undergone thymectomy at birth were injected intravitreally with glutamate (200 nmol). One week later, the numbers of surviving RGCs were determined by retrograde labeling with 4-Di-10-Asp. Significantly fewer surviving RGCs were seen in the thymectomized rats than in the normal controls (a, p < 0.01). After glutamate toxicity, nude mice of a genetically susceptible strain (C57BL/6J) showed no differences in RGC survival rates compared with their wild-type counterparts, whereas RGC survival rates in nude mice of a genetically resistant strain were significantly decreased (p < 0.001) (b). *p < 0.05; ***p < 0.001; Student'st test.