Prepyriform electrical activity after 250 r whole-body X irradiation in rats

¹ Department of Physiology, University of California, Berkeley, California

Evoked and spontaneous electrical activity was recorded from the prepyriform cortex of rats with permanently implanted electrodes. Evoked responses were obtained by lateral olfactory tract stimulation. Measurements of the electrical activity were made daily for 10 days before and after 250 r of whole-body X irradiation. Radiation did not significantly alter spontaneous activity. On the other hand, irradiation produced a decrease in the latency of the evoked response and a reduction in the average voltage of the response to a test stimulus given 12–24 msec after a conditioning stimulus. The results were interpreted in terms of an increase in conduction velocity in the olfactory tract axons and a reduction of the action of prepyriform inhibitory elements after irradiation.

Note:
With the Technical Assistance of A. J. Silva