title: Prenatal exposure to the brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) impairs measures of sustained attention and increases age-related morbidity in the Long-Evans rat.
abstract: Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant that is widely-used in foam building materials and to a lesser extent, furniture and electronic equipment. After decades of use, HBCD and its metabolites have become globally-distributed environmental contaminants that can be measured in the atmosphere, water bodies, wildlife, food staples and human breastmilk. Emerging evidence suggests that HBCD can affect early brain development and produce behavioral consequences for exposed organisms. The current study examined some of the developmental and lifelong neurobehavioral effects of prenatal HBCD exposure in a rat model. Pregnant rats were gavaged with 0, 3, 10, or 30mg/kg HBCD from gestation day 1 to parturition. A functional observation battery was used to assess sensorimotor behaviors in neonates. Locomotor and operant responding under random ratio and Go/no-go schedules of food reinforcement were examined in cohorts of young adult and aged rats. HBCD exposure was associated with increased reactivity to a tailpinch in neonates, decreased forelimb grip strength in juveniles, and impaired sustained attention indicated by Go/no-go responding in aged rats. In addition, HBCD exposure was associated with a significant increase in morbidity in the aged cohort. One health complication, a progressive loss of hindleg function, was observed only in the aged, 3mg/kg HBCD animals. These effects suggest that HBCD is a developmental neurotoxicant that can produce long-term behavioral impairments that emerge at different points in the lifespan following prenatal exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miller-Rhodes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, 04104, United States.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States.
authors.forename: Calla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goeke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, 04104, United States.
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tirabassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, 14454, United States.
authors.forename: Vincent P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Markowski
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D049628:Body Size / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005411:Flame Retardants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
chemical_list: D005411:Flame Retardants; D006842:Hydrocarbons, Brominated; C089796:hexabromocyclododecane
keywords: Attention, behavior; Development; Flame retardant; Hexabromocyclododecane; Prenatal exposure