Visual evoked cortical potentials in the cat after retinal modifications induced by intraocular kainic acid.

Intraocular injections of kainic acid (KA) induce changes in visual-evoked cortical potentials in the cat at the level of the primary and secondary wave complexes. These changes are correlated with histological findings that show degeneration of cells in the inner nuclear layer and ganglion cell layer. These results indicate that despite the cell death produced by KA, certain retinal circuits continue to function. The fact that the first modifications induced by KA are observed at the level of the primary complex agrees well with the proposed retinal origin of this complex. The modifications of the secondary complex may imply a different transmission and/or processing of visual information at the central level.