OBJECTIVE Kainic acid (KA) has long been used in experimental animals to induce status epilepticus (SE). A mechanistic implication of this is the association between excitotoxicity and brain damage during or after SE. We evaluated KA-induced metabolic impairment and the potential mitigating effects of GYKI 52466 [1-(4-aminophenyl)-4-methyl-7,8-methylenedioxy-5H-2,3-benzodiazepine] in superfused rat cerebral cortical slices. METHODS Interleaved [31P]/[1H] magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to assess energy metabolism, intracellular pH (pHi), N-acetyl-L-aspartate (NAA) level, and lactate (Lac) formation before, during, and after a 56-min exposure to 4 mM KA in freshly oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid (oxy-ACSF). RESULTS In the absence of GYKI 52466 and during the KA exposure, NAA, PCr, and ATP levels were decreased to 91.1 +/- 0.8, 62.4 +/- 3.9, and 59.1 +/- 4.3% of the control, respectively; Lac was increased to 118.2 +/- 2.1 %, and pH, was reduced from 7.27 +/- 0.02 to 7.13 +/- 0.02. During 4-h recovery with KA-free ACSF, pHi rapidly and Lac gradually recovered, NAA decreased further to 85.5 +/- 0.3%, and PCr and ATP showed little recovery. Removal of Mg2+ from ACSF during KA exposure caused a more profound Lac increase (to 147.1 +/- 4.0%) during KA exposure and a further NAA decrease (to 80.4 +/- 0.5%) during reperfusion, but did not exacerbate PCr, ATP, and pHi changes. Inclusion of 100 microM GYKI 52466 during KA exposure significantly improved energy metabolism: the PCr and ATP levels were above 76.6 +/- 2.1 and 82.0 +/- 2.9% of the control, respectively, during KA exposure and recovered to 101.4 +/- 2.4 and 95.0 +/- 2.4%, respectively, during reperfusion. NAA level remained at 99.8 +/- 0.6% during exposure and decreased only slightly at a later stage of reperfusion. CONCLUSIONS Our finding supports the notion that KA-induced SE causes metabolic disturbance and neuronal injury mainly by overexcitation through non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor functions.