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STYRENE IMPAIRS SERIAL SPATIAL REVERSAL LEARNING IN RATS
Citation:
Bushnell, P. STYRENE IMPAIRS SERIAL SPATIAL REVERSAL LEARNING IN RATS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-94/522 (NTIS PB95148847).
Description:
Occupational exposure to styrene monomer has been implicated in the etiology of solvent-induced cognitive dysfunction. o evaluate the effects of styrene exposure on learning, rats were trained on a series of reversals of a spatial discrimination, permitting repeated evaluation of learning in the same animals. tyrene monomer (50% v/v in corn oil) was administered by gavage to groups of 8 adult male Long-Evans rats at 500 mg/kg/day, 5 days/week, for 8 weeks in Exps. nd II or 1, 3, 5, or 8 weeks in Exp. II. n all studies, control rats received corn oil vehicle for 8 weeks. eversal training began 8 (Exp. ), 10 (Exp. I) or 32 (Exp. II) weeks after termination of dosing. n Exp. , an instrumental (IN) procedure was used, in which rats received food after each presentation of a "positive" response lever (S+) only if they had made at least I response to the S+ on that trial. n Exps. I and III, an automaintenance (AU) procedure was used, in which rat@..received food after every presentation of the S+, regardless of responding. n all -studies a second, "neutral" manipulandum (SO) was presented randomly in time with respect to food delivery. iscrimination accuracy was assessed by a discrimination ratio (DR), defined as the proportion of total responses to the S+ in a 10-trial block. ith criterion for reversal defined as a DR of at least 0.90 in two consecutive 10-trial blocks, serial reversal learning was quantified in terms of trials to criterion across repeated