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Neurobehavioral Development following Exposure of Male Mice to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether 47 on Postnatal Day 10
Citation:
MOSER, V. C., P. PHILLIPS, AND K. MCDANIEL. Neurobehavioral Development following Exposure of Male Mice to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether 47 on Postnatal Day 10. Presented at Neurobehavorial Teratology Society Meeting, Louisville, KY, June 28, 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
This study was initiated to further evaluate changes in motor activity as well as learning in a Morris water maze in adult offspring exposed preweaning.
Description:
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are commonly used as commercial flame retardants in a variety of products including plastics and textiles. Previous studies in our laboratory and in the literature have shown that exposure to a specific PBDE congener, PBDE 47, during a critical period of brain development may lead to developmental delays and hyperactivity in adulthood. This study was initiated to further evaluate changes in motor activity as well as learning in a Morris water maze in adult offspring exposed preweaning. Male C57BU6 mice were dosed with corn oil vehicle or PBDE 47 (1,10, or 30 mg/kg) on postnatal day 10 (n=12 litters/dose), and one mouse from each litter was assigned to each of the following behavioral tests: basal activity levels (1, 2,4 months of age, using a cage-rack activity monitor); acute motor activlty response to scopolamine or mecamylamine (4 months of age, Motron activity system); and spatial learning in a Morris water maze (3, 5 months of age) followed by no-platform and visual probes. At 1 month (but not 2 or 4 months), there were subtle differences in the dose groups in ambulation and habituation of fine movements. Activity was increased and decreased by scopolamine and mecamylamine, respectively, and these changes showed slight attenuation in the low-dose group but this finding was not statistically robust. All mice learned the water maze task at both ages, and the only dose-related difference was a suggestion that the low-dose mice spent less time in the middle zone at5 months. There were no differences in quadrant bias when the platform was removed, and all mice swam towards a visual platform in the same amount of time. Thus, in this study we were unable to replicate motor activity changes from our previous study, and did not detect marked changes in spatial learning, up to 5 months of age following early postnatal exposure to PBDE 47. Small sample size and procedural differences may have contributed to the outcomes. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not reflect US EPA policy.