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ACUTE BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF INHALED PERCHLOROETHYLENE IN RATS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO ITS CONCENTRATION IN THE BRAIN.
Citation:
OSHIRO, W. M., Q. T. KRANTZ, E. M. KENYON, AND P. J. BUSHNELL. ACUTE BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF INHALED PERCHLOROETHYLENE IN RATS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO ITS CONCENTRATION IN THE BRAIN. Presented at Society of Toxicology, Seattle, WA, March 16 - 20, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
The current study sought to assess the effects of inhaled PCE on sustained attention in rats performing a visual signal detection task (SDT).
Description:
Perchloroethylene (PCE) is a volatile organic compound (VOC), frequently used in dry cleaning processes, that is currently being assessed by EPA for its risk to human health. Many VOCs are acutely neurotoxic and have been shown to affect attentional processes in humans and animals. The current study sought to assess the effects of inhaled PCE on sustained attention in rats performing a visual signal detection task (SDT). Because physiological effects of PCE are similar to those of other commonly used VOCs (e.g., toluene and trichloroethylene (TCE)), which are known to impair attentional processes in rats, we hypothesized (1) that acute inhalation of PCE (0, 500, 1000, 1500 ppm) would disrupt performance of the SDT in rats and (2) that the effects would correlate with concentrations of PCE in the brain as estimated by a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. As predicted, PCE impaired performance of the signal detection task by reducing accuracy (500 -1500 ppm), elevating response times (1000 -1500 ppm) and reducing the number of trials completed (1500 ppm). These effects were consistent with impaired attention and were closely related to estimated concentrations of PCE in the brain. These results show that PCE is similar to other VOCs in its acute effects on attention, and that these effects can be predicted by the concentration of PCE in the brain at the time when the behavior is measured.