Effects of pyrethroid insecticides on operant responding maintained by food. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1987;9(1):27-31
Date
01/01/1987Pubmed ID
3627076DOI
10.1016/0892-0362(87)90066-3Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0023597938 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 21 CitationsAbstract
The pyrethroids are potent insecticides with low concomitant mammalian lethality when compared with other major insecticides. While high doses can lead to hyperactivity, tremors, convulsion and death, low doses have not been as well studied. Since operant behavior can be a sensitive measure of CNS function, male Holtzman rats were trained on a VR25 schedule maintained by 45 mg food pellets. Rats were injected IP with one of four different technical grade pyrethroids: permethrin, allethrin, deltamethrin and fenvalerate. All agents were effective in reducing operant responding and did so in a dose-dependent manner at levels 10 to 100 times below their LD50 values. Time course studies indicated a relatively short duration of action for the Type I agents of less than 60 min for permethrin and 15 min for allethrin. Type II agents were generally effective for greater than 60 min. Results of these studies indicate that operant responding maintained by food is a sensitive measure of the behaviorally disruptive effects of subconvulsive doses of pyrethroids.
Author List
Stein EA, Washburn M, Walczak C, Bloom ASAuthor
Alan Bloom PhD, MA Emeritus Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsConditioning, Operant
Depression, Chemical
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Food
Lethal Dose 50
Male
Nitriles
Permethrin
Pyrethrins
Rats
Rats, Inbred Strains
