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Long-term behavioral changes in rats following organophosphonate exposure
1Johns Hopkins University, Department of Psychology, Baltimore, MD 21218.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|July 1, 1987
Summary
Organophosphorus soman (a nerve agent) causes irreversible cholinesterase inhibition. Surviving rats showed varied behavioral changes, with some exhibiting deficits linked to neural pathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Organophosphorus compounds, like soman, are potent cholinesterase inhibitors.
- High-dose soman exposure in animals leads to seizures, death, neural lesions, and behavioral deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the behavioral effects of a single soman exposure in rats.
- To correlate behavioral changes with neurological pathology.
Main Methods:
- Rats received single injections of soman (50 or 85 µg/kg) or saline.
- Behavioral testing included open field activity, a 14-choice point T-maze, and tactile stimulus reactivity.
- Brain pathology was assessed in surviving rats.
Main Results:
- Soman exposure resulted in varied behavioral outcomes, including increased open field activity, learning deficits in the T-maze, and heightened tactile reactivity in some rats.
- Increased tactile reactivity correlated with increased open field activity and poorer maze performance.
- Rats with abnormal behaviors post-soman exposure were more likely to exhibit abnormal brain pathology.
Conclusions:
- A single soman exposure can induce a spectrum of behavioral abnormalities in rats.
- Behavioral deficits are associated with underlying neuropathology, highlighting the long-term consequences of nerve agent exposure.
- These findings underscore the neurotoxic potential of soman and the need for effective countermeasures.