Abstract
Sprague-Dawley rats receiv e d 20 or 100 mg/kg/day of Kanechlor 500 on days either 8-14 or 15-21 of gestation. Controls were given the solvent, olive oil, only. Offspring were evaluated for activity and emotionality on the open field and for maze-learning ability on the waterfilled multiple T-maze. The results showed that the prenatal treatment with PCBs altered learning ability as measured by the water maze, although activity and emotionality were similar to those of controls. On the maze-learning test, the offspring exposed to the Kanechlor in utero learned the maze slower than the control rats, and dose-response relationships appeared evident in this parameter. These results were discussed with reference to previous findings in this area, and the potential values of behavioral teratology were stressed.
