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MAPPING TOXICANT-INDUCED NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE WITH A CUPRIC SILVER STAIN: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF NEURAL DEGENERATION INDUCED BY 3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPETHAMINE (MDMA)
Citation:
Jensen, K. MAPPING TOXICANT-INDUCED NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE WITH A CUPRIC SILVER STAIN: A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF NEURAL DEGENERATION INDUCED BY 3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPETHAMINE (MDMA). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-92/180.
Description:
The purpose of structural assessments in neurotoxicology is to provide a convincing picture of the location and extent of damage to the nervous system. ilver stains that selectively reveal neural degeneration hold particular promise in this regard. n this chapter we describe results obtained using a cupric silver stain to delineate areas of the brain damage by administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). DMA (0,25,50,150, mg/kg as salt) was administered to Long Evans rats 4 times, with a 12 hour interdosing interval. oth the time course and dose dependence of MDMA induced silver staining were evaluated. ilver staining was most prominent in the fronto-parietal neocortex, where the extend of staining was dose-dependent and appeared to be maximal within 18-48 following the last dose. ur results show that we have made significant steps toward quantifying a historically subjective phenomena, the staining of degenerating neurons with silver. ur results show that maps of silver staining can demonstrate the dose- and time-dependent of nature of toxicant induced brain damage. ith definement such maps can help identify components of the brain's complex circuitry that are vulnerable to damage by exposure to toxicants.