Abstract
Summary
A single dose of methyl mercury chloride was force-fed at 2.0 mg/100 g body weight to 15- and 21-day-old and at 2.5 mg/100 g to 60-day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. Control rats received the carrier for the mercury compound. T-maze and open-field performances of the rats treated with the 2.0 mg/100 g body weight were not altered when compared to control rats. However, statistically significant differences were found in the T-maze test in number of days to reach criterion between the two groups of 60-day-old rats. Furthermore, statistical differences were found between the two groups in several parameters measured in the open field which indicate alteration in the emotionality of the treated rats. Histological examination of the brain at the end of the behavioral tests revealed no lesions attributable to the mercury treatment. Thus, our data indicated that certain subtle changes due to mercury poisoning can more readily be detected with behavioral tests than by histopathological examination.
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