Possible olfactory transduction of radiation-induced aversion

Abstract

After whole-body X irradiation (280 kvp, 4.8 mA, 48 r) for ½ h, rats showed an ostensible aversion to previously preferred Saccharin drinking even when they had been anesthetized during the exposure. The sequelae of low-dose irradiation, however, were not observed for eight days of testing in rats that had their nasal passages occluded with paraffin and breathed through oral-tracheal tubes while they were anesthetized and irradiated. Possibly, the nasal occlusions and the short-lasting hypoxia subdued the radiation effect at the olfactory epithelium, so that the trace-conditioned aversion failed to develop.