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Both RNase protection assay and in situ hybridization were used to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal injection of kainate on the messenger RNA levels for basic fibroblast growth factor in the rat central nervous system. Limbic motor seizures were produced by kainate injection and this event was followed by a significant elevation of basic fibroblast growth factor gene expression in rat hippocampus and striatum 6 h after the convulsant injection. The increase in hippocampus was maximal at 24 h and it was delayed with respect to nerve growth factor induction, which peaked 3 h after kainate injection. Animals that suffered prolonged seizure activity also showed a significant elevation of basic fibroblast growth factor gene expression four and 14 days after kainate, when no changes in nerve growth factor gene expression were observed. We show that, within the hippocampus, the increase of basic fibroblast growth factor messenger RNA was localized in dentate gyrus and the CA1 layer 6 and 24 h after kainate injection. Long-term effects on its gene expression were measurable only in the CA1 hippocampal subfield, where major cell damage and astrocytosis have been reported to occur following kainate-induced seizure activity [Ben-Ari Y. et al. (1981) Neuroscience 7, 1361–1391; Lothman E. W. and Collins R. C. (1981) Brain Res. 218 , 299–318; Schwob J. E. et al. (1980) Neuroscience 5, 991–1014]. Indeed, the animals which displayed elevated messenger RNA levels for basic fibroblast growth factor four and 14 days after kainate injection showed a marked induction of messenger RNA expression for the astroglial marker glial fibrillary acidic protein. These results indicate that the glutamate analogue kainate produces short- and long-term increases of basic fibroblast growth factor messenger RNA expression with a specific anatomical pattern. Therefore, the gene expression for this neurotrophic factor is probably regulated by neuronal activity at early points in time, whereas the induction observed at later time points is related to adaptive mechanisms taking place following kainate-induced neuronal degeneration.