Objective To investigate the effect of whole-body irradiation with low-dose γ-rays on the central nervous system of mice.Methods Fifty C57 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups and treated with 0,0.5,1 Gy whole-body irradiation,respectively.24 or 48 h after irradiation,brain tissue of mice was resected and homogenated.The levels of amino acid neurotransmitter,including Glu,Asp,GABA and Gly in brain homogenate were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).Results Compared to the brain tissue of untreated mice,the contents of Glu and Asp at 0.5 and 1 Gy (t=-4.080,-3.935,-4.416,-3.630,-4.831, - 4.656,P ＜0.05) in mice brain tissue significantly increased at 24 h at 1 Gy and 48 h.However,the contents of Glu and Asp had no obvious changes in mice brain tissue 24 h after 1 Gy of irradiation. The contents of GABA and Gly had no difference between irradiated groups and untreated control group. Conclusions Short-term whole-body irradiation with low-dose γ-rays induces slight stimulation effect on the central nervous system of mice.