Chronic exposure to trichloroethylene affects neuronal plasticity in rat hippocampal slices
Lilo Altmann a, Peter Welge b, Thomas Mensing b, Hellmuth Lilienthal a, Bruno Voss b and Michael Wilhelm b, c
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, Volume 12, Issue 3, October 2002, Pages 157-167
a. Medical Institute of Environmental Hygiene, Department of Neurobehavioral Toxicology, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, D-40225, Duesseldorf, FRG
b. Research Institute for Occupational Medicine of the Institutions for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention (BGFA), Buerkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, D-44789, Bochum, FRG
c. Ruhr-University Bochum, Department of Hygiene, Social- and Environmental Medicine, Universitaetsstr. 150, D-44801, Bochum, FRG
Inhalational exposure to organic solvents is known to exert neurotoxic effects. Using the new multielectrode dish system (Panasonic) the effects of chronic exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) on neuronal plasticity were assessed in different regions of the adult rat brain. Two groups of Long-Evans rats were exposed to 0 ppm or 500 ppm TCE, respectively, 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 6 months. Long-term potentiation (LTP) as well as paired-pulse potentiation/inhibition were assessed in slices from the visual cortex and the hippocampus. In addition, several behavioral tests were performed. Trichloroethanol concentrations were measured in blood and trichloroacetic acid concentrations were determined in urine. While TCE exposure impaired LTP as well as paired-pulse potentiation in hippocampal slices, no effects were seen in cortical slices. Our data demonstrate brain region specific functional changes following TCE exposure with the hippocampus being more vulnerable than the visual cortex. The behavioral measurements revealed no TCE related effects.
