kainic acid

noun

kai·​nic acid ˌkī-nik-  ˌkā- 

: an excitatory neurotoxin C₁₀H₁₅NO₄ that is a glutamate analog originally isolated from a dried red alga (Digenia simplex), that binds selectively to a subset of glutamate receptors which serve as ligand-gated ion channels on neurons, and that is used as an anthelmintic and experimentally to induce seizures and neurodegeneration in laboratory animals