Behavior and kainic acids differential behavioral and biochemical effects of kainic acid and allokainic acid injections in rats.

Using intraperitoneal injections, it was observed that kainic acid (KA) and its stereoisomer, allokainic acid (AKA), differ in their ability to produce wet-dog shakes (WDS), stereotypies and convulsions in Sprague-Dawley rats. KA induced this sequence of events for 5 hours after treatment while AKA had no effect even at much higher doses. On the other hand, both isomers induced sparring. KA caused also some significant changes in serotonin levels in hippocampus 6 days after injection while AKA did not. These findings suggest that WDS, stereotypies and convulsions depend on the position of the isopropenyl group in relation to the pyrrolidine ring of the molecule while sparring is not dependent on its spatial configuration.