Relationship between Linear Energy Transfer and Behavioral Toxicity in Rats Following Exposure to Protons and Heavy Particles

• Published in: Radiation research 1991-11, Vol.128 (2), p.216-221
• Main Authors: Rabin, Bernard M., Hunt, Walter A., Joseph, James A., Dalton, Thomas K., Kandasamy, Sathasiva B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Avoidance Learning - radiation effects; Biological and medical sciences; Biological effects of radiation; Conditioning (Psychology) - radiation effects; Dosage; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Dosimetry; Electrons; Energy Transfer; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ionizing radiations; Linear energy transfer; Male; Neutrons; Particle energy; Protons; Radiation dosage; Rats; Terrestrial radiation; Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics
• ISSN: 0033-7587; 1938-5404
• DOI: 10.2307/3578141

Rats were exposed to protons (155 MeV) or to helium (165 MeV/amu), neon (522 MeV/amu) or argon (670 MeV/amu) particles to evaluate the behavioral toxicity of these types of radiations. Behavioral toxicity was assessed using the conditioned taste aversion paradigm. Exposure to all types of radiation produced dose-dependent increases in the intensity of the acquired taste aversion. However, the intensity of the aversions, measured as the dose that produced a 50% decrease in the intake of the sucrose-conditioned stimulus, did not show significant variation as a function of the linear energy transfer (LET) of the radiation. The results are discussed in terms of the relationship between LET and behavioral toxicity.