Progressive behavioral changes during the maturation of rats with early radiation-induced hypoplasia of fascia dentata granule cells
Localized exposure of the neonatal rat brain to x rays produces neuronal hypoplasia specific to the granule cell layer of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. This brain damage causes locomotor hyperactivity, slowed acquisition of passive avoidance tasks and long bouts of spontaneous turning (without reversals) in a bowl apparatus. The authors report here how these behavioral deficits change as a function of subject aging and behavioral test replications. Portions of the neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres were X-irradiated in order to selectively damage the granule cells of the dentate gyrus. Rats between the ages of 71-462 days were tested 3 separate times on each of the following 3 behavioral tests: (1) spontaneous locomotion, (2) passive avoidance acquisition, and (3) spontaneous circling in a large plastic hemisphere. Rats with radiation-induced damage to the fascia dentata exhibited long bouts of slow turns without reversals. Once they began, irradiated subjects perseverated in turning to an extent significantly greater than sham-irradiated control subjects. The hyperactivity of the irradiated animals decreased significantly as they matured. These data suggest that radiation-induced damage to the fascia dentata produces task-dependent behavioral deficits that change as a function of subject age and/or behavioral testing.
- Research Organization:
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Inst., Bethesda, MD (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7018459
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-214236/2/XAB; AFRRI-SR-89-33
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in Neurotoxicology and Teratology, Vol. 11, 385-393(1989)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BRAIN
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
AVOIDANCE
CEREBRUM
HIPPOCAMPUS
INFANTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
IRRADIATION
MATURATION
RADIATION INJURIES
X RADIATION
AGE GROUPS
ANIMAL CELLS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CHILDREN
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INJURIES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
SOMATIC CELLS
560152* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Animals