Acrylamide neurotoxicity: effects on far-field somatosensory evoked potentials in rats

These experiments were designed to determine the sites of acrylamide induced damage in the specific ascending somatosensory system. Far-field somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) were measured in adult rats given 400 ppm acrylamide in drinking water for 4, 8, or 16 days. Treated rats showed a statistically significant weight loss after 8 days of exposure and became visibly ataxic after about 12 days exposure. SSEPs were collected using modified techniques of Wiederholt and Iragui-Madoz [9] which enhance three far-field peaks arising from (I) the spinal posterior columns, (II) the posterior column nuclei and medial lemniscus, and (III) the thalamus and thalamo-cortical radiations. The three far-field peaks occur prior to the first cortical peak (P1). Tibial nerve stimulation voltage and frequency profiles revealed statistically significant alterations in all SSEP peaks after 16 days exposure. These findings indicate that damage may have occurred throughout the ascending somatosensory system including the spinal cord, dorsal column nuclei, medial lemniscus, thalamus, and sensory radiations.