title: Influence of toxicants on neural cell adhesion molecule-mediated neuroplasticity in the developing and adult animal: persistent effects of chronic perinatal low-level lead exposure.
abstract: The expression of neuroplastic neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) polysialylated neurons in the dentate of juvenile (postnatal day 40) and adult (postnatal day 80) rats exposed to low-level lead during the early postnatal period has been investigated. At both ages, the number of polysialylated neurons was decreased significantly in lead-exposed animals when expressed per unit area but not total dentate area. This could be attributed to an increase in the number and intercellular spacing of granule cells in the dentate of the lead-exposed animals. These effects are related to NCAM polysialylation dysfunction perturbing early hippocampal neurogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University College, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Regan
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D012794:Sialic Acids; D007854:Lead; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid