Pharmacological modification of tremor and enhanced acoustic startle by chlordecone and p,p'-DDT

Evaluation of Sensory System Function Using Reflex Modification of the Startle Response

Methods to measure damage to sensory systems after toxicant exposure vary from rapid and subjective tests (e.g., pinna reflex) to time-consuming and objective tests (e.g., psychophysical tests). Reflex modification of the startle response represents an alternative technique in the assessment of sensory function. Advantages of this procedure include no prior training requirements, rapid and objective measurement of sensory thresholds, ability to differentiate sensory from nonsensory damage, and potential for predictive validity. This procedure also has been shown to be sensitive to a variety of neurotoxic compounds. Future research should concentrate on demonstrating the research potential of this technique for use in neurotoxicology.

DDT and Other Chlorinated Insecticides

The use of organochlorine insecticides such as DDT, lindane and cyclodieneshas declined markedly worldwide over the last decades. Most are now banned or not used. At an acute toxicity level they have been relatively safe in use for humans. However, the greatest concerns are their persistence in people, wildlife and the environment due to their slow metabolism. Although their carcinogenicity for humans has not been supported by strong epidemiological evidence, their potential to be modulators of endocrine and immune function at levels remaining in the environment or associated with residual spraying of DDT continue to be of concern. At present, DDT is still allowed by the United Nations for combating malaria, with continual monitoring and assessment where possible. The toxicological consequences of exposure of animals and people to DDT is discussed as well as some analogues and other insecticides such as lindane, dieldrin and chlordecone that, although little used, continue to persist in surroundings and people. Because of circumstances of world health brought about by climate change or human activities that have yet to develop, there may come a time when the importance of some may re-emerge.

Undertaking positive control studies as part of developmental neurotoxicity testing: a report from the ILSI Research Foundation/Risk Science Institute expert working group on neurodevelopmental endpoints

Developmental neurotoxicity testing involves functional and neurohistological assessments in offspring during and following maternal and/or neonatal exposure. Data from positive control studies are an integral component in developmental neurotoxicity risk assessments. Positive control data are crucial for evaluating a laboratory's capability to detect chemical-induced changes in measured endpoints. Positive control data are also valuable in a weight-of-evidence approach to help determine the biological significance of results and provide confidence in negative results from developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) studies. This review is a practical guide for the selection and use of positive control agents in developmental neurotoxicology. The advantages and disadvantages of various positive control agents are discussed for the endpoints in developmental neurotoxicity studies. Design issues specific to positive control studies in developmental neurotoxicity are considered and recommendations on how to interpret and report positive control data are made. Positive control studies should be conducted as an integral component of the incorporation and use of developmental neurotoxicity testing methods in laboratories that generate data used in risk decisions.

ATSDR evaluation of health effects of chemicals. II. Mirex and chlordecone: health effects, toxicokinetics, human exposure, and environmental fate

This document provides public health officials, physicians, toxicologists, and other interested individuals and groups with an overall perspective of the toxicology of mirex and chlordecone. It contains descriptions and evaluations of toxicological studies and epidemiological investigations and provides conclusions, where possible, on the relevance of toxicity and toxicokinetic data to public health. Additional substances will be profiled in a series of manuscripts to follow.

Regional glycine receptor binding in the p,p'-DDT myoclonic rat model

Abnormal glycinergic neurotransmission has been implicated in the pathophysiology of DDT-induced myoclonus. To examine the role of glycine receptors in the DDT model, was measured [3H]strychnine receptor binding in brainstem and spinal cord in the rat after acute administration of DDT. The highest dose of DDT tested significantly increased both Bmax (20%) and Kd (57%) of glycine sites in spinal cord but not brainstem compared to vehicle-treated controls at 4 h. Lower DDT doses, which also induced myoclonus, had no significant effects on [3H]strychnine specific binding. In vitro, 10(-7) DDT did not displace [3H]strychnine binding in naive rat spinal cord, but higher doses could not be studied due to poor solubility of DDT under the assay conditions. These data suggest that only a maximal dose of DDT has significant though mixed effects on parameters of [3H]strychnine binding in spinal cord which are not correlated with the onset of myoclonus.

The role of 5HT1A receptors in the modulation of the acoustic startle reflex in rats

The modulatory role of serotonin (5-HT) on the acoustic startle reflex was studied using 5-HT receptor agonists and antagonists. 8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OHDPAT) (1,2 and 4 mg/kg, SC) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeODMT) (1,2 and 4 mg/kg, IP), putative 5-HT1a receptor agonists, increased the magnitude of the startle reflex, while quipazine (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, SC), an agonist with mixed 5-HT2 and 5-HT1b receptor activity, decreased startle responsiveness. Pretreatment of rats with ketanserin (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg, SC), a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, had no significant effect on the activity of 8-OHDPAT, 5-MeODMT, or quipazine. Metergoline (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg, SC), a mixed 5-HT1/5-HT2 receptor antagonist attenuated the augmentation of the reflex by 8-OHDPAT and 5-MeODMT and the suppression produced by quipazine. At the doses used, metergoline produced a non-dose-dependent increase in startle, while ketanserin had no effect. None of the agents specifically affected the ability of a prepulse stimulus to inhibit the acoustic startle response. These data suggest that 5-HT1a and 5-HT1b receptors play opposite roles in the modulation of the acoustic startle response and that 5-HT plays little, if any, role in the prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response.

Modulation of p,p'-DDT-induced tremor by catecholaminergic agents

p,p'-DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane; 75 mg/kg) or corn oil was administered po to male Fischer 344N rats. Tremor was quantified 8 hr later by spectral analysis of whole body movements. The effect of sc injection of pharmacological challenges on the spectral profile of body movements was determined. The alpha antagonist phenoxybenzamine decreased the intensity of movements over most of the power spectra in animals exposed to DDT, but decreased spectral power only at lower frequencies in control subjects. The alpha-1 antagonist prazosin had similar effects in animals given DDT. The alpha-2 antagonist yohimbine and the beta antagonist propranolol produced lethality and increased the intensity of movements in animals administered DDT, without significantly affecting control animals. The alpha-2 agonist clonidine decreased the spectral profile over a wide range of frequencies in animals exposed to DDT, while depressing the spectral power of control animals only at higher frequencies. The dopamine antagonist haloperidol increased the intensity of movements in DDT-treated animals, without altering the spectral profile of controls. The dopamine agonist apomorphine induced stereotypy in control animals, but failed to significantly alter the power spectra in subjects given DDT. These data suggest a facilitatory and inhibitory role, respectively, for alpha-1 and alpha-2 receptors in the modulation of DDT-induced tremor. Dopamine and beta receptors may be involved in the tonic inhibition of tremor produced by DDT.

The effects of lindane, DDT, and chlordecone on avoidance responding and seizure activity

Male adult Fischer-344 rats were given various doses of lindane (0, 15, and 30 mg/kg, po), chlordecone (0, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, ip), or p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT) (0, 25, 50, or 100 mg/kg, po) and tested for their ability to perform a two-way shuttle box task or to learn and retain a step-through passive avoidance response. Administration of p,p'-DDT or chlordecone 3 hr prior to acquisition did not affect the number of shuttle box avoidance responses made during a 60-trial training task, while responses during the intertrial interval (ITI) were decreased. Rats receiving 15 or 30 mg/kg of lindane made fewer avoidance responses, but did not differ from controls in terms of the number of responses during the ITI. When 30 mg/kg lindane was given 3 hr prior to passive avoidance acquisition, retention was impaired 7 days later; the lower dose of lindane, and all doses of chlordecone or p,p'-DDT had no effect under these conditions. When these chemicals were given immediately after passive avoidance training, animals treated with lindane were not affected. Animals receiving 100 mg/kg of p,p'-DDT or chlordecone displayed marked signs of toxicity and animals tested 7 days after training showed an impaired retention. Pretreatment with anticonvulsants such as phenobarbital and chlordiazepoxide, which may enhance GABA-mediated responses, blocked the disruptive effects of lindane (30 mg/kg) on shuttle box avoidance. The seizure-related activity produced by a higher dose of lindane (60 mg/kg) and kainic acid, a hippocampal excitotoxin, was also blocked by phenobarbital and chlordiazepoxide. Pretreatment with phenytoin, which is thought to bind to the inactivation gates of sodium, had no effect on the effects produced by lindane or kainic acid. These data suggest that treatment with nonconvulsant doses of lindane can interfere with the ability to acquire and use new information and that these effects may be associated with alterations in GABA.