The role of monoamines in the behavioural effects of kainic acid in rats.

Male albino rats given as intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (11 mg/kg) showed a behavioural syndrome of wet-dog shakes, vertical paddling and tonic convulsions followed by aphagia and aggressivity. The phase of wet-dog shakes, vertical paddling and convulsions was reduced by pretreatment with benserazide and alpha-methylparatyrosine at low doses, while FLA-63 and high doses at AMPT (greater than 200 mg/kg) were toxic together with kainic acid. The phase of aphagia was not influenced reliably by any of the pretreatments, while the phase of aggressivity was potentiated strongly by parachlorophenylalanine and slightly by reserpine and AMPT. The findings suggest that dopaminergic and serotoninergic functions play a role in effects of kainic acid on behaviour in rats.