Permanent impairment of spontaneous Purkinje cell discharge in cerebellar grafts caused by chronic lead exposure

Abstract

The effects of perinatal lead administration on developing rat brain were studied using cerebellar grafts in oculo. Using 1% lead acetate in the drinking water, little change was seen in the histological organization of the graft. In marked contrast, virtually all Purkinje cell spontaneous discharge was absent in these grafts. This was seen even though 4–5 months had elapsed between recording and the cessation of lead treatment. There was no alteration in electrophysiological properties of transplant Purkinje cells from sodium acetate-treated animals. Moreover, host in situ cerebellar Purkinje cells in both groups of animals discharged normally. These data indicate that lead administration, eliciting blood levels of 450–550 μg/liter, produces a long-lasting selective electrophysiological deficit in developing brain in oculo.