1Diagnostic
Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, Core for Translational Research in Imaging
@ University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Program
in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Division
of Toxicology, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, University of
Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
The offspring of guinea pigs exposed during pregnancy to the organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos were examined using MR imaging and behavioral methods. Guinea pigs were given either a dose of chlorpyrifos or peanut oil during pregnancy. Morris water maze, T2-weighted anatomicals, and diffusion-weighted imaging was administered to the offspring at PND 70. The chlorpyrifos group showed significant decreases in performance on the Morris Water Maze test as well as a decrease in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in several areas. These results underscore the extent of genetic changes that are possible with low levels of commonly used organophosphorus compounds during pregnancy that lead to neurodevelopmental changes.
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