Developmental lead effects on behavior and brain gene expression in male and female BALB/cAnNTac mice.

ABSTRACT: Lead (Pb) was one of the first poisons identified, and the developing nervous system is particularly vulnerable to its toxic effects. Relatively low, subclinical doses, of Pb that produce no overt signs of encephalopathy can affect cognitive, emotional, and motor functions. In the present study, the effects of developmental Pb-exposure on behavioral performance and gene expression in BALB/cAnNTac mice were evaluated. Pups were exposed to Pb from gestational-day (gd) 8 to postnatal-day (pnd) 21 and later evaluated in exploratory behavior, rotarod, Morris water maze, and resident-intruder assays as adults. Pb-exposure caused significant alterations in exploratory behavior and water maze performance during the probe trial, but rotarod performance was not affected. Pb-exposed males displayed v

SUBMITTER: Kasten-Jolly J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3463649 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature