Enhanced acoustic startle responding in rats with radiation-induced hippocampal granule cell hypoplasia

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5405531

Mickley, G A; Ferguson, J L

Irradiation of the neonatal rat hippocampus reduces the proliferation of granule cells in the dentate gyrus and results in locomotor hyperactivity, behavioral preservation, and deficits on some learned tasks. In order to address the role of changes in stimulus salience and behavioral inhibition in animals with this type of brain damage, irradiated and normal rats were compared in their startle reactions to an acoustic stimulus. Irradiated rats startled with a consistently higher amplitude than control and were more likely to exhibit startle responses. These animals with hippocampal damage also failed to habituate to the startle stimulus and, under certain circumstances, showed potentiated startle responses after many tone presentations.

• Research Organization: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Inst., Bethesda, MD (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5405531
• Report Number(s): AD-A-211220/9/XAB; AFRRI-SR-89-20
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Pub. in Experimental Brain Research, Vol. 75, 28-34(1989)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
HIPPOCAMPUS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RATS
BEHAVIOR
ACOUSTICS
AMPLITUDES
ANIMALS
INFANTS
INHIBITION
IRRADIATION
PRESERVATION
REFLEXES
STIMULI
AGE GROUPS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
BRAIN
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CHILDREN
MAMMALS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES
560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals