Comparative effects of exposure to high-energy electrons and gamma radiation on active avoidance behaviour

The effect of two types of ionizing radiation was examined on active avoidance behaviour. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to avoid footshock by jumping onto a retractable ledge. When irradiated with high-energy electrons or gamma photons, their performance was degraded in a dose-dependent manner. However, electrons were 1.6 times as effective as gamma photons with ED50s of 62 and 102 Gy, respectively. All animals recovered within 24 min for all doses used. The data suggest that different types of ionizing radiation may not be equivalent when assessing their effect on behaviour.