Neurotransmitters affect neuronal Ca 2/ , suggesting the functional expression of Ca 2/development by regulating intracellular Ca 2/ concenpermeable KA/AMPA receptors at the stage of retitrations. We studied spatiotemporal pattern of the denal cell death. The Ca 2/ rise to glutamate and KA velopment of glutamate-induced intracellular Ca 2/ occurred intensely at the inner plexiform layer, the rise in the embryonic chick retina, where developinner part of inner nuclear layer, and the ganglion mental changes in mitotic activity, cell death, and syncell layer, where the cell death occurs. The Ca 2/ rise apse formation have been well established. Glutamate to high K / , in contrast, occurred intensely at the was bath-applied to the central part of the retina disnerve fiber layer and the ganglion cell layer, develsected at embryonic day 3 (E3) to E13, and changes in oping continuously from E3 until E11. Our study intracellular Ca 2/ concentration were measured with shows that the Ca 2/ rise to glutamate develops with Fura-2 fluorescence. The Ca 2/ rise to glutamate first the decline of the mitotic activity of the retinal cells appeared at E6, reached a maximum at E9-10, and and is transiently enhanced during the period of cell then declined before the appearance of synaptic strucdeath in the embryonic chick retina. แญง 1998 John tures (E12). Ca 2/ rises to kainate (KA) and a-amino-Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 34: 113-125, 1998 3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) Keywords: glutamate receptor; intracellular Ca 2/ ; appeared earlier and were larger in amplitude than retina; chick embryo; development those to N-methyl-D-aspartic acid.