Excitatory amino acids toxicity in cerebellar granule cells in primary culture.

Primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells represent a valuable neuronal system for the study of the physiology, biochemistry and toxicology of excitatory amino acids. Using this system, we now report the characterization of the biochemical and toxicological action of a toxic mussels extract, containing the excitatory amino acid domoic acid. The results obtained using toxic mussels extract, non-toxic mussels extract and purified domoic acid, provide evidence for a synergistic action of domoic acid with other potentially neurotoxic excitatory amino acids, normally present in mussels.