Effects of anaesthetics and anticonvulsants on the action of kainic acid in the rat hippocampus.

The effects of anaesthetics and anticonvulsants on the acute behavioral response and neurochemical alterations following intrahippocampal injection of kainic acid were examined. When compared to the effects in animals anaesthetized with a combination of chloral hydrate and pentobarbital (Equithesin), brief anaesthesia with ether or with hexobarbital potentiated whereas prolonged anaesthetia attenuated the action of 0.5 microgram of kainic acid. Of the constituents of Equithesin, chloral hydrate offered less protection than pentobarbital. The anticonvulsants, phenobarbital, diazepam, diphenylhydantoin, and carbamazepine offered partial protection when administered in conjunction with ether anaesthetia.