title: Behavioral effects and drug vulnerability in rats exposed to Pfiesteria toxin.
abstract: Pfiesteria piscicida is a dinoflagellate which has a lethal effect on fish and also causes a syndrome of toxic effects in humans. Cognitive impairment is a prominent aspect of Pfiesteria's toxicity, and this neurocognitive effect resulting from toxin exposure has been demonstrated previously in a rat model. Four experiments are presented here, which replicate, confirm and extend some of the initial research and also show that similar cognitive deficits result from exposure to the toxin of another species, Pfiesteria shumwayae. Rats were given intraperitoneal injections of filtered water taken from toxic Pfiesteria cultures and tested in the radial arm maze (RAM). In two experiments, exposure to toxin from either species (piscicida or shumwayae) retarded acquisition of RAM performance in a non-interrupted win-shift RAM paradigm. A scopolamine challenge showed increased vulnerability to anticholinergic effects in exposed rats, even after nondrugged RAM performance was not different from controls. A third experiment featured a more difficult RAM test which included a 150-min interruption-delay. Toxin exposure also degraded performance in this version of the RAM, and the impairment was potentiated by the scopolamine challenge. The fourth experiment demonstrated retarded learning of the reversal of a RAM procedure which tested reference memory. In agreement with earlier research, these results indicate that Pfiesteria toxin interferes with the learning required to adapt to changing behavioral requirements. They also demonstrate that a latent toxin-produced CNS dysfunction persists after behavior appears normal, as revealed by potentiation of scopolamine's impairment of efficient RAM performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529 0267, USA. pduncan@odu.edu
authors.forename: Perry M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Parris
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: Jermaine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marshall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008387:Marine Toxins; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D009498:Neurotoxins; D012601:Scopolamine