title: Excitotoxic effect of kainic acid on chicken cochlear afferent neurons.
abstract: The excitotoxic effects of kainic acid, a glutamate analog, on the auditory neurons in the chicken cochlea were assessed by light and transmission electron microscopy. Kainic acid was directly applied onto the round window of adult chickens and their cochleas were harvested 3 h after application. Transverse microscopic sections of the basilar papilla revealed swelling of afferent dendrites without any morphological changes in efferent endings. The regions of the basilar papilla damaged by kainic acid were localized in the apical 80% and primarily on the neural side where tall hair cells are located. The basal, abneural short hair cell region was devoid of damage. These results imply that glutamate is a primary neurotransmitter in chicken auditory afferent neurons that synapse on tall hair cells.
authors.affiliation: Center for Hearing and Deafness, State University of New York at Buffalo, 14214, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shero
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Salvi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hashino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003051:Cochlea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009476:Neurons, Efferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D009498:Neurotoxins; D007608:Kainic Acid