Abstract
There is much concern that even at the relatively low levels of lead which do not result in acute toxicity, alterations in cognitive function may occur [10]. Impairments in learning following early lead exposure have been reported in a number of species. Ewes were exposed to lead before breeding and throughout gestation [4]. At 4 months of age, the lambs born to them had a mean blood lead level of 14 μg% (control 4.7 μg%). At 5 months, the lambs were taught to discriminate between a circle and a triangle and then among circles of different sizes. The prenatally exposed lambs took significantly longer than controls to learn the size discrimination. This may be interpreted as a defect in reversal learning.
This work was supported by Research Grant ES-00775 from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute.
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© 1985 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Clasen, R.A., Hoeppner, T.J., Hartmann, J.F., Pandolfi, S., Clasen, J.R. (1985). Electron Microscopic and Behavioral Studies in Experimental Lead Encephalopathy. In: Inaba, Y., Klatzo, I., Spatz, M. (eds) Brain Edema. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70696-7_7
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