Effects of kainic acid, a cyclic analogue of glutamic acid, on cyclic nucleotide accumulation in slices of rat cerebellum.

The concentration of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and cyclic GMP (cGMP) in slices of rat cerebellum was increased markedly in the presence of 100 muM kainic acid, a cyclic analogue of glutamic acid. No acitvity was detected in other brain areas at various dosed or incubation times. Ksainic acid was significantly more potent than glutamic acid and other glutamate-like compounds. The increases in cAMP and cGMP could be differentially inhibited with theophylline or cocaine respectively, but both systems required calcium. Compounds similar in structure to kainic acid or glutamate did not block the effects of kainic acid.