United States Department of Transportation
i
A comparison of the behavioral effects of various levels of chronic disulfoton poisoning.
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1969-10-01
[PDF-739.59 KB]
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Abstract:Exposure of general aviation pilots to toxic pesticides has been reported as a possible cause of impairment of flying performance; in some instances it may have produced fatal results. Of particular concern and interest are the organophophates that are known to be AChE (acetylcholinesterase) inhibitors. It has been generally assumed that inhibition of the enzyme AChE in the central nervous system affects ACh (acetylcholine) destruction, a normal process which follows nerve impulse transmission at the synapse. Inhibition of AChE thus permits excessive accumulations of ACh which could possibly interfere with memory and/or learning processes.
The present study explored the extent to which chronic cholinesterase inhibition in albino rats affects performance in a complex maze situation. The results indicate that disulfoton-exposed rats were capable of performing a maze-running task with fewer errors and shorter trial times than control animals, although AChE levels for the most severely exposed group were more than 75 percent below normal. The latter was attained by the animals on 50-p.p.m. of the poison. At this level an occasional animal had convulsions or severe tremors which temporarily incapacitated the rat.
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