Related Experiment Videos
Effects of chronic lead exposure on [3H]MK-801 binding in the brain of rat
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216, USA.
Abstract:
We have used quantitative autoradiographic methods to determine the effects of chronic lead exposure on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain of female rat. Rats were exposed pre- and post-natally from day 4 +/- 1 post conception with 1000 ppm lead in their drinking water. This treatment continued after weaning. No effects of lead on [3H]MK-801 binding were found at PN 28. However, lead caused a significant increase in [3H]MK-801 binding in the hippocampus including CA1 and CA2, and in the occipital and temporal cortical areas at PN 56 and at PN 112. An increase in binding was also found in the entorhinal cortex and the dentate gyrus at PN 112. Because the NMDA receptor is involved in learning and memory, the lead-induced disruption of NMDA receptors in the hippocampus and cortex may be associated with the cation-induced cognition deficits.