Morphological changes of rat neurosecretory neurones after stereotacix injection of kainic acid into the supraoptic nucleus or the supraoptico-hypophyseal tract

Kainic acid is a structural analogue of glutamic acid possessing neurotoxic property. In the present study, performed on rats, morphological changes of neurosecretory neurones after stereotaxic injection of kainic acid into the left supraoptic nucleus or into the left supraoptico-hypophyseal tract were investigated. It is shown that administration of kainic acid in a dose that leads to destruction of hippocampal pyramidal cells has no effects on supraoptic perikarya but does destroy neurosecretory axons. These results contradict the observations of many authors who reported that local injection of kainic acid into the brain causes degeneration of perikarya but leaves axons of passage unaffected.