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Related Experiment Videos

Behavioral impairment produced by low-level postnatal PCB exposure in monkeys.

D C Rice1

  • 1Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Environmental Research
|March 27, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure from birth through breast milk in monkeys caused significant behavioral deficits. These findings suggest breast milk may be a critical exposure route for PCB-induced neurodevelopmental impairment.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Toxicology
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Human studies suggest prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure, not breast milk, causes behavioral deficits.
  • A recent study indicated lower infant psychomotor scores linked to PCB concentration in breast milk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of early-life exposure to a PCB congener mixture, representative of human breast milk, on primate behavior.
  • To determine if PCB exposure via breast milk contributes to behavioral impairment.

Main Methods:

  • Monkeys were dosed from birth to 20 weeks with a PCB congener mixture.
  • Blood and fat PCB levels were measured and compared to human population ranges.
  • Behavioral assessments were conducted on juvenile monkeys (2.5–5.0 years old) using various cognitive tasks.

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Main Results:

  • PCB-exposed monkeys exhibited significant deficits in spatial delayed alternation, fixed interval, and differential reinforcement of low rate tasks.
  • Behavioral impairments included learning retardation, perseverative behavior, and impaired response inhibition.
  • No group differences were found in nonspatial and spatial discrimination reversal tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Early-life exposure to PCBs through a breast milk-like mixture can induce robust behavioral deficits in primates.
  • These findings highlight the potential contribution of breast milk as a significant exposure route for PCB-induced neurobehavioral effects.
  • The study provides evidence supporting concerns about PCB contamination in human breast milk and its impact on neurodevelopment.