Behavioral effects in mice of postnatal exposure to low-doses of 137-cesium and bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is the most important plasticizer used in many household products such as polycarbonate plastics or epoxy resins. Public and scientific concerns exist regarding the possibility that the neonatal exposure to BPA may contribute to neurobehavioral disorders. On the other hand, there is little information on the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation during critical phases of postnatal brain development, as well as the combination of radiation and environmental chemicals. In this study, C57BL/6J mice were exposed to low doses of internal radiation (137Cs), and/or BPA on postnatal day 10 (PND10). At the age of two months, animals were submitted to several tests to assess anxiety, activity, learning, and memory. Results showed that exposure to 137Cs, alone or in combination with BPA, increased the anxiety-like of the animals without changing the activity levels. Animals exposed to 137Cs showed impaired learning, and spatial memory, an impairment that was not observed in the groups co-exposed to BPA.