Developmental exposure to ozone induces subtle changes in swimming navigation of adult mice

Following exposure to ozone (O3, 0.6 ppm) from the beginning of neonatal life until weaning, adult CD-1 mice were tested in swimming navigation, a sensitive indicator for hippocampal damage. Control mice received a sham exposure. All mice were tested at 12-13 weeks of age for their ability to find a submerged platform in a fixed location (acquisition: 18 trials, six trials per day) and for capacity to re-orient towards a new platform position (reversal: 12 trials, six trials per day). Exposure to O3 did not produce any significant impairment of swimming navigation during the acquisition phase while it slightly increased the swimming paths during the last day of the reversal phase. Mice exposed to O3 showed a slightly but significantly higher swimming speed during all the days, which was unrelated to differences in body weight and to navigational performances. Moreover, mice exposed to O3 (with the exception of one animal) had a strong tendency to make turns to the left while the controls, independent of sex, preferred clockwise turns. Data are discussed with respect to possible implications with early CNS and immune alteration leading to behavioral asymmetries at adulthood.