[Changes in cat behavior as affected by intracerebral microinjections of kynurenine and quinolinic acid].

Behavioural changes induced by microinjections of neuroactive tryptophan metabolites: L-kynurenine sulfate (KYN, 50-1,000 micrograms) and quinolinic acid (QA, 20-1,000 micrograms) were studied in chronic experiments on cats with cannulas implanted into nuclei caudati. Unlike KYN, whose effects were scarce and nonspecific, QA (500 and 1,000 micrograms) produced marked motor and emotional shifts. The effects were manifested in contralateral rotatory movements, limb hyperkinesis, emotional strain, malice, fear, aggression with snarling and hissing, attack on provocation. It is suggested that kynurenines and QA can participate in the generation of emotional disorders peculiar for epilepsy.