Behavioral differences in the developing rat following postnatal anoxia or postnatally injected AF-64A, a cholinergic neurotoxin.
Rat pups were submitted postnatally to one of two procedures: a 25-min exposure to 100% nitrogen or an i.c.v. bilateral injection of AF-64A, 2 nmol contained in 1-microliter saline. Throughout further development of either group, their performance in passive and active avoidance tests and in amphetamine-induced stereotype behavior was followed and compared. Both groups exhibited hyperactivity which persisted until 42 days of age in the anoxia group and beyond 120 days in the AF-64A group. Both groups were equally inferior to controls in the passive avoidance test, but only the anoxia group was inferior to controls in the active avoidance test. Amphetamine-induced stereotype behavior was much less pronounced in the anoxia group relative to AF-64A-treated rats or to controls. The results suggest that the lesion induced by the neurotoxin is more specific and less widespread than the one caused by anoxia.
Speiser
Z
Z
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Israel.
Amitzi-Sonder
J
J
Gitter
S
S
Cohen
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001388:Aziridines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001389:Azirines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005311:Fetal Hypoxia / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000187:drug effects*; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects
D001388:Aziridines; D001389:Azirines; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C044894:ethylcholine aziridinium; D002794:Choline