title: Discrimination and avoidance learning in adult mice following developmental exposure to diisopropylfluorophosphate.
abstract: Exposure to acetylcholinesterase inhibitors during development was shown in the past to induce sex-dependent changes in locomotion and specific cognitive and emotional tests in rodents. Adult mice that had been treated with 0.5 mg/kg diisopropylfluorphosphate (DFP), on post-natal days 14-20 were tested on active avoidance and a set-shifting task. DFP pre-treatment did not affect the active avoidance task, but impaired performance on the extra-dimensional shift task. DFP-treated females showed more general deficits in the acquisition of simple discrimination, intra-dimensional shift, extra-dimensional shift and reversal learning. These data suggest that pre-weanling exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors may have long-term consequences on attentional capabilities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
authors.forename: Yifat
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Ora
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kofman
authors.forename: Margalit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwebel
authors.forename: Alona
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaldubina
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007531:Isoflurophate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009812:Odorants; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D012903:Smell / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007531:Isoflurophate