Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Assessment of Chemical Toxicity in Adult Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: March 24, 2023
Use of discrimination behavior for the evaluation of toxicants
I Geller1, E Gause, R J Hartmann
1Department of Behavioral and Environmental Sciences, Southwest Foundation for Research and Education, San Antonio, TX 78284.
Abstract:
This study involved the application of discrimination behavior for the study of effects of environmental contaminants on the behavior of laboratory animals. Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) was evaluated for effects on the acquisition and performance of a simple auditory discrimination by rats. Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and carbon monoxide (CO) were evaluated for effects on a delayed match-to-sample discrimination task in the juvenile baboon. All of the contaminants slowed response times and increased extra responses. These findings suggest that discrimination behavior may be of value for the evaluation of environmental contaminants for effects on the central nervous system.
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