Neuronal Analysis and Behaviour in Prenatally Gamma-Irradiated Rats

The intrauterinal development in mammals represents a very sensitive period of life in relation to many environmental factors, including ionizing radiation (IR). The developing nervous system is particularly vulnerable to IR, and the consequences of exposure are of importance because of its potential health risks. The aim of our work was to assess whether prenatal irradiation of rats on the 17th day of embryonic development with a dose of 1 Gy would affect the formation of new cells and the number of mature neurons in the hippocampus and the selected forms of behaviour in the postnatal period. Male progeny of irradiated and control females was tested at ages of 3 weeks, 2 and 3 months. The number of mitotically active cells in the gyrus dentatus (GD) of the hippocampus was significantly reduced in irradiated rats aged 3 weeks. In irradiated rats aged 2 months, a significant reduction of mature neurons in CA1 area and in GD of the hippocampus was observed. The IR negatively influenced the spatial memory in Morris water maze, significantly decreased the exploratory behaviour and increased the anxiety-like behaviour in elevated plus-maze in rats aged 2 months. No significant differences were observed in animals aged 3 months compared with controls of the same age. A significant correlation between the number of mature neurons in the hilus and of the cognitive performances was found. Our results show that a low dose of radiation applied during the sensitive phase of brain development can influence the level of neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of GD and cause an impairment of the postnatal development of mental functions.