The effects of forskolin (1 microM) and EGTA (5 mM) on indirect cyclic AMP responses in slices of guinea-pig cerebral cortex were examined. Forskolin had little effect on the direct 2-chloroadenosine-stimulated cyclic AMP response. However, it completely abolished the glutamate-induced augmentation of this response. In contrast, forskolin had very little effect on the indirect cyclic AMP responses to noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and histamine. Conversely, rapid removal of extracellular calcium with EGTA 2 min before addition of the indirectly acting agent markedly reduced the augmentation responses produced by these latter agonists, but had little effect on the glutamate augmentation. When EGTA was added once a steady level of cyclic AMP had been achieved with the indirect agents, it was without effect on any of the responses. Thus, calcium appears to have a role in the early, but not the later, stages of the noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and histamine responses. A role for protein kinase C in the glutamate augmentation response was suggested, because forskolin inhibited the augmentation of the 2-chloroadenosine response produced by phorbol esters (which mimic the actions of diacylglycerol in activating protein kinase C). We conclude that there is more than one mechanism by which the augmentation of cyclic AMP responses can occur.