Behavioral and neurochemical changes associated with chronic exposure to low-level concentration of pesticide mixtures

J Toxicol Environ Health. 1990 Jul;30(3):209-21. doi: 10.1080/15287399009531424.

Abstract

In order to assess behavioral and neurochemical changes resulting from pesticide exposure, food-restricted male weanling rats were exposed for 90 d to low doses (1 ppb-10,000 ppb range) of individual pesticides (aldicarb, metribuzin, or methomyl) or mixtures of them. During exposure, rats were trained to run a T-maze and tested for spatial discrimination reversal learning. At sacrifice, three brain regions (cortex, hippocampus, and neostriatum) were assayed for the neurotransmitters dopamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin. Animals treated with a mixture of two insecticides and one herbicide were found to have slower speeds in maze-running (motor control) and also had altered levels of choline in their neostriatums. Rats treated with one herbicide compound (metribuzin) took longer to learn on two reversals; this group also had a significantly lower acetylcholine/choline ratio in their hippocampus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Aldicarb / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Brain / metabolism*
  • Choline / metabolism
  • Corpus Striatum / metabolism
  • Decision Making / drug effects
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Synergism
  • Herbicides / pharmacology
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Immune System / drug effects
  • Learning / drug effects
  • Male
  • Methomyl / pharmacology
  • Pesticides / pharmacology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Strains
  • Triazines / pharmacology

Substances

  • Drug Combinations
  • Herbicides
  • Pesticides
  • Triazines
  • Methomyl
  • Aldicarb
  • Choline
  • metribuzin