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NEUROBEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT USING A FUNCTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL BATTERY AND MOTOR ACTIVITY IN RATS PERINATALLY EXPOSED TO DE-71.
Citation:
MOSER, V. C., C. G. COBURN, J. D. FARMER, K. JAREMA, R. C. MACPHAIL, KATHY L. MCDANIEL, P. PHILLIPS, AND PRASADA RAO S. KODAVANTI. NEUROBEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT USING A FUNCTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL BATTERY AND MOTOR ACTIVITY IN RATS PERINATALLY EXPOSED TO DE-71. Presented at International Neurotoxicology Conference, Little Rock, AR, September 15 - 19, 2006.
Description:
Polybrominated Diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants in a variety of commercial products. Their persistence in the environment and detection in populations throughout the world has raised concern about their toxic effects. Developmental Neurotoxic effects have been suspected due to their structural similarities to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, we evaluated behavior in offspring exposed to a widely used pentabrominated commercial mixture, DE-71. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were exposed to 0, 1.7, 10.2, or 30.6 mg/kg/day in corn oil by oral gavage from gestational day 6 to weaning. On postnatal days (PND) 24 and 60, male offspring (n=8-13/dose) were tested using a functional observational battery (FOB). Horizontal and vertical motor activity were measured in figure-eight chambers immediately after FOB testing. Offspring of both sexes (n=3-11/dose/gender) were also tested in Motron® chambers on PNDs 100 and 114. For the FOB, there were no effects on reflexes, excitability, or measures of physiological, autonomic, sensorimotor, or neuromuscular function. The only statistically significant finding was a dose-by-age interaction in the number of rears in the open field, wherein the control group showed similar levels at both time points but the treated rats (low and high dose only) showed higher rearing on PND60. Motor activity measured in the figure-eight chambers was not affected, nor was habituation. Neither horizontal nor vertical activity measured in the Motron® chambers showed significant effects of dose or time (age) of testing. Thus, perinatal DE-71 exposure may cause subtle changes in rearing activity that are detected in an open field. (This abstract does not necessarily reflect USEPA policy).