Long-term effects of diisopropylfluorophosphate administration during pre-weanling period on fear behaviors in adult BALB/C and C57 mice

The association between developmental neurotoxicity and organophophate (OP) pesticide exposure in human is an important health concern. Irritability, depression, and anxiety were found after exposure to OP substances in adults. In rodents perinatal exposure led to impulsive behaviour and sex-dependent changes in spatial and discrimination learning. Experimental studies in human and rodents have confirmed that a relatively short exposure to low doses of OP during perinatal periods can cause cognitive deficits. OPs act as acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors (AChE-I). The developing brain may be particularly vulnerable to OPs, because of the role of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on neuronal development and the effects of cholinergic pathways on the behavioral and hormonal response to stress. In addition, a growing body of evidence has shown that exposure to AChE-Is or stress induce the expression of the rare 'readthrough' splice variant of AChE, AChE-R and may play a role in modulating the fear response.