NEUROBEHAVIORAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL CHANGES IN GROWING RATS AFTER CADMIUM EXPOSURE

The effect of a daily intraperitoneal cadmium administration, of 0.4 m g Cd/kg body weight for 30 days to weaned rats on the content of bioge nic, amines in different brain regions and behavioral pattern was inve stigated. Significant decrease in 5-hydroxytryptamine contents of cere bellum and corpus striatum while an increase in hippocampus was notice d in Cd treated rats. Dopamine was significantly increased in cerebell um and hippocampus whereas it was decreased in corpus striatum and res t of the brain regions. Norepinephrine was significantly increased in almost all the regions except for rest of the brain region where a sig nificant decrease was noticed. A reduction in spontaneous locomotor ac tivity and learning ability was also observed. Cessation of the Cd-tre atment for 30 days could not reverse the alterations in the neurotrans mitter levels induced by the previous treatment except for the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine in cerebellum and norepinephrine levels in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The behavioral deficits also persiste d suggesting a long lasting neurological effects of cadmium exposure.