title: Open field behavior and habituation in rats irradiated on the head with gamma-rays.
abstract: The goal of this work was to establish the effects of irradiation of the head with gamma-rays on selected forms of innate behavior, as well as on the habituation process to new environment in the open field test in rats. During a 5-day control period behavioral parameters reflecting motoric and explorative activities, as well as anxiety (6 parameters in total) were followed daily in 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats in an open field. Fourteen animals were repeatedly tested after irradiation of the head with a single dose of 10 Gy of gamma-rays. The results showed statistically significant depression of motoric and explorative activities during the first 3 days after irradiation in comparison with the control period. After irradiation the level of anxiety was elevated. Habituation to a new environment was observed in non-irradiated, but not in irradiated animals. These results suggest that the applied dose of ionizing radiation influenced the brain centers involved in control of innate behavioral functions connected with response to a new environment in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Physiology, Institute of Biological and Ecological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of P. J. Safárik, Kosice, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kisková
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smajda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006257:Head; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley