title: Long-term effects of chronic postnatal lead exposure on delayed spatial alternation in monkeys.
abstract: Two cohorts of monkeys chronically exposed to lead during the first year after birth and their controls were tested during adulthood for choice accuracy on a learning and memory task, delayed spatial alternation (DSA). Neither cohort showed significant lead-related deficits, as had been seen in a previous experiment with monkeys exposed to similar chronic levels of lead during the first year with an additional high pulse given five-six weeks after birth (18,19). On the contrary, the lead-exposed monkeys in the present experiment actually performed slightly better than controls. In the previous (pulse-chronic) study, the deficit occurred at short intertrial delays, suggesting an attentional rather than mnenomic deficit. A lead-induced decrease in attentiveness could also explain the present results. The lower level lead intoxication may have decreased attentiveness to a lesser degree, so that the monkeys were less susceptible to irrelevant stimuli and performed better.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bowman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D005518:Food Preferences; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000523:psychology*; D007858:Learning; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D012016:Reference Values; D012201:Reward