title: Exposure to low doses of137cesium and nicotine during postnatal development modifies anxiety levels, learning, and spatial memory performance in mice.
abstract: Radiation therapy is a major cause of long-term complications observed in survivors of pediatric brain tumors. However, the effects of low-doses of ionizing radiation (IR) to the brain are less studied. On the other hand, tobacco is one of the most heavily abused drugs in the world. Tobacco is not only a health concern for adults. It has also shown to exert deleterious effects on fetuses, newborns, children and adolescents. Exposure to nicotine (Nic) from smoking may potentiate the toxic effects induced by IR on brain development. In this study, we evaluated in mice the cognitive effects of concomitant exposure to low doses of internal radiation (137Cs) and Nic during neonatal brain development. On postnatal day 10 (PND10), two groups of C57BL/6J mice were subcutaneously exposed to 137-Cesium (137Cs) (4000 and 8000 Bq/kg) and/or Nic (100 μg/ml). At the age of two months, neurobehavior of mice was assessed. Results showed that exposure to IR-alone or in combination with Nic-increased the anxiety-like of the animals without changing the activity levels. Moreover, exposure to IR impaired learning and spatial memory. However, Nic administration was able to reverse this effect, but only at the low dose of137Cs.
authors: Physiology Unit, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain; Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain.
authors: Montserrat
authors: M
authors: Bellés
authors: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain; CRAMC, Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Department of Psychology, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Heredia
authors: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain.
authors: Noemí
authors: N
authors: Serra
authors: Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain.
authors: José L
authors: JL
authors: Domingo
authors: Physiology Unit, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain; Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, Spain. Electronic address: mvictoria.linares@urv.cat.
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Linares
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000633:toxicity; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine
keywords: 137-cesium; Anxiety; Memory; Mice; Nicotine