Radiation induced micrencephaly in guinea pigs

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5018102· OSTI ID:5018102

Wagner, L K; Johnston, D A; Felleman, D J

A brain weight deficit of about 70 mg was induced at doses of approximately 75-mGy and a deficit of 60 mg was induced at 100 mGy. This confirms the effects projected and observed by Wanner and Edwards. Although the data do not demonstrate a clear dose-response relationship between the 75-mGy and 100-mGy groups, the data are statistically consistent with a dose-response effect because of the overlapping confidence intervals. The lack of a statistically significant observation is most likely related to the small difference in doses and the limited numbers of animals examined. There are several factors that can influence the brain weight of guinea pig pups, such as caging and housing conditions, the sex of the animal, and litter size. These should be taken into account for accurate analysis. Dam weight did not appear to have a significant effect. The confirmation of a micrencephalic effect induced x rays at doses of 75-mGy during this late embryonic stage of development is consistent with the findings of small head size induced in those exposed prior to the eight week of conception at Hiroshima. This implies a mechanism for micrencephaly different from those previously suggested and lends credence to a causal relation between radiation and small head size in humans at low doses as reported by Miller and Mulvihill. 16 refs., 13 tabs.

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Houston, TX (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-89ER60912
• OSTI ID: 5018102
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/60912-1; ON: DE92002574
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550800 -- Morphology
560152* -- Radiation Effects on Animals-- Animals
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GUINEA PIGS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LITTER SIZE
MAMMALS
MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES
MORPHOLOGY
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ONTOGENESIS
ORGANS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOINDUCTION
RODENTS
SEX DEPENDENCE
VERTEBRATES
X RADIATION