{"title":"Vasopressin and vasopressin-antagonists applied to neonatal Wistar rats: effects on body and brain development and water metabolism.","authors":"F G Snijdewint, G J Boer","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Neonatal Wistar rats were continuously treated with the vasopressin-antagonists d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP, d(CH2)5DAVP or d(CH2)5[D-Ile2,Ala4]AVP, which have high anti-vasopressor or anti-anti-diuretic activity. The treatments were performed to test the hypothesis that arginine-vasopressin (AVP) might have a stimulatory effect on brain development, which is based upon the disturbed brain development of the AVP-deficient Brattleboro rat. None of the treatments with antagonists, either being given via a small drug-delivery device or by twice daily injections, inhibited body or brain development, though d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2]AVP treatment even had some stimulatory effect on cerebellar weight as measured at one month of age. Similar drug-delivery treatment with AVP or oxytocin (OX), or injections with 250 ng AVP, lysine-vasopressin (LVP), arginine-vasotocin (AVT) or OX had no stimulatory developmental effect. However injections with 2.5 micrograms of these peptides reduced body development, albeit transiently, of the neonatal Wistar rats. Moreover in this latter group not only the known lasting effects of AVP and LVP on body water metabolism were seen but also such effects were present after AVT and OX treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"213-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Long-term lead effects on the Hamilton Search Task and delayed alternation in monkeys.","authors":"E D Levin, R E Bowman","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exposure of rhesus monkeys to lead during the first year after birth resulted in cognitive deficits when the monkeys were tested as adults (5-6 years of age). A pronounced lead-related deficit was detected in the test of Delayed Spatial Alternation (DSA), and a much less robust effect was detected in the Hamilton Search Task (HST). Both tests provided examples of \"windows of sensitivity\" to the effect of lead, where the behavioral criterion was challenging enough to elicit a deficit in lead-treated monkeys while still being within the capabilities of the controls. The lead-induced deficit in DSA was most pronounced after short intertrial delays, suggesting that the effect was probably not due to a mnemonic dysfunction, but rather may have been due to deficits in strategy or attention. The lose-shift type of error accounted for most of the lead-related DSA deficit, indicating that the lead-treated monkeys perseverated on an alternation strategy even when it was not rewarded. These results indicate that exposure to lead during the first year after birth can result in very long-term and possibly permanent cognitive deficits.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"219-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of neonatal administration of diazepam and lorazepam on performance of adolescent rats in tests of anxiety, aggression, learning and convulsions.","authors":"S E File","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Male offspring of hooded Lister rats were fostered at birth and allocated to experimental litters of eight, in which at least one rat was allocated to every treatment group. Vehicle control, diazepam (1 or 10 mg/kg) or lorazepam (0.25 or 2.5 mg/kg) were administered daily from postnatal day 1-21. Rats were tested undrugged at adolescence (days 35-41). Neonatal treatment with diazepam (10 mg/kg) or lorazepam (2.5 mg/kg) tended to increase active social interaction, perhaps indicative of an anxiolytic effect. These treatments also increased unpunished licking, but were without effect on punished drinking. When the experimental rats were resident in their home-cages the effect of neonatal treatment with diazepam (1 mg/kg) was to increase the number of offensive behaviors directed at an untreated intruder. In contrast, neonatal treatment with lorazepam (2.5 mg/kg) increased the frequency and duration of submissions to the intruder. When the rats that had been treated neonatally were intruding into the territory of an untreated resident rat, diazepam treatment (10 mg/kg) increased wrestling, whereas lorazepam (0.25 mg/kg) decreased sniffing and kicking the resident. The neonatal treatments did not affect acquisition or short-term retention of a passive avoidance response, but the re-entry latencies indicated poorer long-term retention by diazepam-treated rats. The neonatal treatments did not change the threshold for convulsions to pentylenetetrazole.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"301-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14011981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intrauterine diazepam exposure: effects on physical and neurobehavioral development in the rat.","authors":"C L Ryan, B A Pappas","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primiparous timed-pregnant Wistar dams were administered a single daily SC injection of diazepam (1.0 or 5.0 mg/kg) or vehicle, over gestation days 14-20. The offspring were assessed on a number of developmental parameters. Pups exposed to the lower dose exhibited a decrease in birth weight and a delay in hair growth. Although these parameters were apparently not affected in the higher dose group, a significant dose-dependent decrease in pup viability was observed, both at birth and at one week of age. No differences were manifested for incisor eruption, pinna uncurling, eye opening, righting, geotaxis, acoustic startle, swimming, or forward locomotion. Rotarod performance was affected in the prenatal DZP animals and body weight at 60 days of age was depressed in the males of the 1.0 mg/kg group. The high dose of diazepam produced an increased susceptibility to minor metrazol-induced seizures in a kindling paradigm, but these altered seizure thresholds were not evidenced in an acute metrazol dose-response study. The NE and DA contents of hypothalamus, brainstem, hippocampus, and cortex of adult brains were assessed in each group. DA was not altered in any brain region while a single significant effect on NE was found. In the 1.0 mg/kg exposed rats only males, but not females, showed higher brainstem levels than controls. These results indicate that in the rat, prenatal exposure to clinically relevant doses of diazepam causes both fetal toxicity and long-term neurobehavioral alterations.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"279-86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14854595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G J Alexander, L M Kopeloff, R B Alexander, N Chatterjie
{"title":"Mexiletine: biphasic action on convulsive seizures in rodents.","authors":"G J Alexander, L M Kopeloff, R B Alexander, N Chatterjie","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mexiletine, an antiarrhythmic drug, exerted a protective effect in mice against convulsive seizures induced by electroshock or the chemical convulsant, pentylenetetrazol, and against seizures induced in inbred audiosusceptible mice by a sound signal. Administered in large doses, mexiletine produced a hyperkinetic myoclonic syndrome of 30-60 min duration. The hyperkinesia could be controlled by dimethylaminoethanol, phenobarbital and by an experimental anticonvulsive agent, eboracin.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"231-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prolonged lead exposure and fixed ratio performance.","authors":"D A Cory-Slechta","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Male rats were chronically treated via drinking water with 50 or 500 ppm sodium acetate or 50 or 500 ppm lead acetate from weaning. Behavioral testing on a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement began at 55 days of age. A series of increasing ratio values was studied. The lower exposure level was without effect at any ratio value. The 500 ppm concentration decreased response rates over the first 15-20 sessions of FR5 and FR25, after which rates reached control levels. Changes in response rate derived primarily from longer interresponse times (IRTs) and decreased running rates. Differences in performance were not evident at FR values of 50 and 100. The 50 ppm concentration produced blood lead (PbB) values averaging 30.3 micrograms/dl; the 500 ppm concentration produced PbBs of 58-94 micrograms/dl. Zinc protoporphyrin levels resulting from 500 ppm exposure differed from controls even after one month of exposure, and continued to increase over eight months of exposure, to 72 micrograms/dl. Comparison of these data to previous studies from this laboratory of FI performance in which the identical exposure protocol was employed, suggests that FR response rates are less sensitive than FI to disruption by lead.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"237-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of trimethyltin on incremental repeated acquisition (learning) in the rat.","authors":"M G Paule, D E McMillan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The effects of the neurotoxicant, trimethyltin (TMT), on the acquisition of serial position response chains (learning) in adult rats were examined. Animals performing incremental repeated acquisition tasks for food were injected once with either 7.5 or 8.7 mg/kg TMT, IP. TMT decreased efficiencies (correct/total responses) in all 5 subjects; maximal decrements occurred 1-3 weeks post-treatment. Efficiency in 3 rats returned to pre-TMT levels within 5 weeks; values for the other 2 animals did not return in 3 months. Errors were markedly increased 1-2 weeks post-treatment in 4/5 subjects. Response rates increased for 2 animals within a week of TMT treatment and remained elevated for 5 weeks. Sustained rate increases occurred for 2 other animals 4-5 weeks after treatment. Thus, TMT effects on various aspects of incremental repeated acquisition behavior follow different time-courses.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"245-53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurotoxicologic examination of rats dermally exposed to 2,4-D amine for three weeks.","authors":"J L Mattsson, R R Albee, K A Johnson, J F Quast","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There was no evidence of peripheral neuropathy or other neurotoxicity in rats dermally treated with a 12% aqueous solution of the amine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D amine). Male and female Fischer 344 rats were treated on the skin of all four limbs with 2,4-D amine for 2 hr/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. Measurements were: body weights, hindlimb grip strength, accelerating rod performance, single and paired pulse electrophysiology of the caudal and sciatic nerves, hindfoot H-reflexes, light microscopy of brain, spinal cord, sciatic nerve, tibial nerve, digital nerve, and electron microscopy of the tibial nerve. The experiment continued for up to one month postexposure. Treatment caused a weight loss in both male and female rats and caused minor skin changes during treatment in both sexes. No other treatment-related effects were found.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"255-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prenatal alcohol exposure and offspring hyperactivity: effects of scopolamine and methylscopolamine.","authors":"N W Bond","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rats were fed a liquid diet containing alcohol from days 6-19 of gestation. Controls were pair-fed the same diet with sucrose substituted for ethanol, or received ad lib chow and water. The activity of the offspring was observed at 10, 16, 22 or 28 days of age. Offspring exposed to alcohol prenatally were hyperactive compared to controls at 16 and 22 days, but not at 10 or 28 days. Administration of scopolamine had no effect on activity in any group at 10 days. At 16 days it reduced activity in the alcohol treated offspring but had no effect on the controls. At 22 days it led to a dose-related increase in activity in controls but had no effect on the already high levels of activity in the alcohol treated pups. At 28 days, scopolamine increased activity in all three groups. Administration of the quaternary derivative, methylscopolamine, indicated that the effects of scopolamine at 22 and 28 days were probably central in origin. These data indicate that a putative cholinergic/inhibitory system becomes functional in control pups before 22 days, but in pups exposed to alcohol prenatally development is delayed by a number of days.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"287-92"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14855609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of trimethyltin chloride on the LiCl dose-response function for conditioned taste aversions in rats.","authors":"J P Mastropaolo, R J Dacanay, A L Riley","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Twenty-one days following intragastric administration of 6.0 mg/kg of TMT (TMT chloride base/kg) or equivolume distilled water, groups of rats were injected with various doses of LiCl (0, 0.15, 0.60 or 1.8 mEq/kg) following the consumption of a novel saccharin solution. Both groups subsequently avoided the consumption of saccharin, with the degree of the aversion directly related to the dose of LiCl. Further, there was no difference between the TMT- and non-TMT-treated rats in the degree of aversion at any dose. These data suggest that the previously-reported effect of TMT on long-delay taste aversion learning was not likely due to changes in sensory responsiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":19112,"journal":{"name":"Neurobehavioral toxicology and teratology","volume":"8 3","pages":"297-300"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1986-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"14150208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}