Effects of non-lethal doses of ionising radiation on the instrumental behaviour of rats Online publication date: Tue, 20-Nov-2007
by Eugene V. Tukalenko, Vyacheslav V. Varetsky, Olexander G. Rakochi, Inna R. Dmitrieva, Mikola U. Makarchuk
International Journal of Low Radiation (IJLR), Vol. 4, No. 3, 2007
Abstract: The dose-effect dependence of the instrumental behaviour of white rats after a single total γ-exposure (60Co) in the dosage range of 0.05 to 7.0 Gy was studied. Generalised results of seven years of our studies of post-radiation changes of operant behaviour in shuttle (active avoidance of shock – negative reinforcement) and in Skinner (drinking reward – positive reinforcement) boxes were evaluated weekly for a two-month period after exposure. The dose dependence, obtained using these two behavioural paradigms, displays a non-linear pattern. Three regions with different characteristic patterns of the observed effects were found: performance declines relative to control animals after exposure to doses up to 1.0 Gy; performance increases at doses in the range from 1.0 to 3.0 Gy; and again declines with dose increases up to 7.0 Gy. Possible underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of additional stress caused by animal testing, are discussed.
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