Effects of inhaled carbon disulfide on sensory-evoked potentials of Long-Evans rats

Peripheral nerve conduction time and parameters of potentials evoked from brain by somatosensory, auditory, and visual stimulation were studied as a function of the concentration of carbon disulfide (CS2) chronically inhaled by female Long-Evans rats. Thirty rats were divided into three groups of ten each and exposed to air or 400 or 800 ppm CS2 7 hours per day, 7 days per week, for 11 weeks. Stimuli consisted of tail shock, clicks, tone pips, light flashes, and reversing visual patterns to evoke multisensory potentials. Effects were observed on conduction time in the periphery, in brainstem auditory pathways and in the visual system. The effects on pattern-reversal potentials were greater than those on flash-evoked potentials.