Kainate receptors likely control a sodium channel that produces excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) when glutamate binds.

Electrical stimulation indiscriminately destroys anything in the vicinity of the electrode tip, including neural bodies and axons of neurons passing through; therefore it is difficult to attribute the effects of the lesion to a single area.

Both chemical and electrical lesions potentially cause additional damage to the brain due to the very nature of the inserted electrode or cannula.

Kainic acid is utilised in primary neuronal cell cultures[6] and in the acute brain slice preparation[7] to study the physiological effect of excitotoxicity and assess the neuroprotective capabilities of potential therapeutics.

Kainic acid is a potent central nervous system excitant that is used in epilepsy research to induce seizures in experimental animals,[8] at a typical dose of 10–30 mg/kg in mice.

[10] Also, infusion with kainic acid in the hippocampus of animals results in major damage of pyramidal neurons and subsequent seizure activity.