ABSTRACT
The present series of experiments investigated behavioral changes in HET mice following administration of kanamycin, one of the aminoglycoside antibiotics. After drug treatment, HET mice showed changes in complex behaviors, including male agonistic behavior, female postpartum aggression, and tactile discrimination performance. Specifically, the temporal distribution of agonistic behavior appears to be affected by kanamycin treatment in both males and females, and kanamycin administration seems to alter reversal performance on a tactile discrimination task. These findings suggest the need for more careful examination of behaviors which may prove to be sensitive indices of antibiotic toxicity.
Subject(s)
Aggression/drug effects , Agonistic Behavior/drug effects , Discrimination Learning/drug effects , Kanamycin/pharmacology , Animals , Female , Humans , Male , Mice , Postpartum Period , Pregnancy , Sex Factors , Touch/drug effects , Visual Perception/physiologySubject(s)
Animal Husbandry/instrumentation , Energy Metabolism , Neurophysiology/instrumentation , Animals , Defecation , Drinking , Eating , Mice , UrinationABSTRACT
Ingestion of palatable and unpalatable solutions was measured in adult mice in which had been administered the common parasite of the dog, Toxocara canis alone, or in combination with lead. In addition, response to hot plate and susceptibility to electroconvulsive seizure were also measured. Results from the palatability test indicated that either lead or Toxocara may alter the mouse's mode of interacting with its environment. However, the two agents in combination interacted in their effects on consummatory behavior. Results from the hot plate and ECS measures were less clear with respect to how lead and/or Toxocara influence temperature reactivity and seizure susceptibility. Histological examination of the CNS in parasite infected animals revealed Wallerian Type degeneration of fiber pathways including the corpus callosum, olfactory tract, and cerebellar penduncles.
