Developmental Exposure to Bisphenol a Degrades Auditory Cortical Processing in Rats.
10.1007/s12264-022-00891-0
- Author:
Binliang TANG
1
;
Kailin LI
1
;
Yuan CHENG
1
;
Guimin ZHANG
1
;
Pengying AN
1
;
Yutian SUN
1
;
Yue FANG
1
;
Hui LIU
1
;
Yang SHEN
1
;
Yifan ZHANG
1
;
Ye SHAN
1
;
Étienne DE VILLERS-SIDANI
2
;
Xiaoming ZHOU
3
Author Information
1. Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China.
2. Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
3. Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China. xmzhou@bio.ecnu.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Auditory behavior;
Auditory cortex;
BPA exposure;
Cortical processing;
Plasticity
- MeSH:
Humans;
Rats;
Animals;
Benzhydryl Compounds/toxicity*;
Phenols/toxicity*;
Auditory Perception/physiology*;
Neurons/physiology*
- From:
Neuroscience Bulletin
2022;38(11):1292-1302
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Developmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting contaminant, impairs cognitive function in both animals and humans. However, whether BPA affects the development of primary sensory systems, which are the first to mature in the cortex, remains largely unclear. Using the rat as a model, we aimed to record the physiological and structural changes in the primary auditory cortex (A1) following lactational BPA exposure and their possible effects on behavioral outcomes. We found that BPA-exposed rats showed significant behavioral impairments when performing a sound temporal rate discrimination test. A significant alteration in spectral and temporal processing was also recorded in their A1, manifested as degraded frequency selectivity and diminished stimulus rate-following by neurons. These post-exposure effects were accompanied by changes in the density and maturity of dendritic spines in A1. Our findings demonstrated developmental impacts of BPA on auditory cortical processing and auditory-related discrimination, particularly in the temporal domain. Thus, the health implications for humans associated with early exposure to endocrine disruptors such as BPA merit more careful examination.
