title: Effect of soman exposure on the acquisition of an operant alternation task.
abstract: Following recovery from soman administration, rats were trained on an operant alternation task with a time-out between response periods. As animals became proficient at the task, both the operant requirements and the length of time-out periods were gradually raised to Fixed Ratio 20 with a 20-second Intertrial Interval. Training sessions continued until animals attained criterion or 100 training sessions had been given. Soman produced a dose-related lethality and signs of cholinergic hyperstimulation. Although all saline controls and 90% of animals receiving 75 micrograms/kg soman attained terminal performance, only one-third of the animals given either 85 or 95 micrograms/kg soman were able to learn this task. Sessions to attain criterion performance produced similar dose-dependent results: All saline animals attained criterion, while only 60%, 33% and 33% of the animals given 75, 85 or 95 micrograms/kg soman respectively reached criterion. Additionally, both 85 and 95 micrograms/kg soman produced severe neural lesions, including cortical atrophy and ventricular dilation.
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5425.
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Modrow
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Jaax
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012999:Soman / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D012999:Soman