Developmental Toxic Effects of Exposure to Chemical Warfare Nerve Agents in Rats: Effects on Brain and Behavior

Nerve agent exposure inhibits acetylcholinesterase, leading to increased and prolonged stimulation of acetylcholine receptors. Common consequences of this cholinergic crisis include seizure activity, neuronal damage and behavioral deficits. The paucity of research directed toward the infant/juvenile...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lange, Lucille, D'Arpa, Peter, Wright, Linnzi
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ADULTS
BEHAVIOR
BRAIN
Chemical, Biological and Radiological Warfare
CHOLINERGIC NERVES
COGNITION
CONVULSIVE DISORDERS
DAMAGE
DEFICIENCIES
EPILEPSY
EXPOSURE(PHYSIOLOGY)
INFANTS
LOCOMOTION
Medicine and Medical Research
MOTORS
NERVE AGENTS
NERVE CELLS
NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
PATHOLOGY
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TOXICITY
VESTIBULAR APPARATUS
VULNERABILITY
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Summary:Nerve agent exposure inhibits acetylcholinesterase, leading to increased and prolonged stimulation of acetylcholine receptors. Common consequences of this cholinergic crisis include seizure activity, neuronal damage and behavioral deficits. The paucity of research directed toward the infant/juvenile population has raised concern because of the unique vulnerabilities of children. In the current study, male and female rats exposed to sarin (GB) were evaluated on tests of spatial memory, locomotor activity and vestibular motor function, as well as neuropathology. Similar to our adult model, we found that juvenile rats exposed to GB exhibited deficits in vestibular motor function for up to 1 week and cognitive deficits in the Morris water maze at 3 weeks post-exposure. In addition, extensive neuropathology and spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) were observed. The current results demonstrate the vulnerability of a juvenile population to motor impairments, cognitive deficits, neuropathology and SRS following exposure to GB. The original document contains color images.