Altered Profiles of Spontaneous Novelty Seeking, Impulsive Behavior, and Response to D-amphetamine in Rats Perinatally Exposed to Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an environmental estrogen with potentially averse effects on public health. We studied the long-term effects of perinatal exposure to BPA on later behavior in adult rats of both sexes. BPA or vehicle was administered orally to mother rats from mating to pups' weaning, at a concentration (0.040 mg/kg) within the range of human exposure. The offspring of both sexes were tested at adolescence (postnatal days 35-45) for novelty preference (experiment 1). After a 3-day familiarization to one side of a two-chamber apparatus, on day 4 rats were allowed to freely explore the whole apparatus. BPA-exposed females spent significantly less time than did controls in exploration of the novel side (i.e., increased neophobia), whereas no effect was found in the male group. At adulthood, the same animals were food deprived and tested for profiles of impulsive behavior (experiment 2), in operant chambers provided with two nose-poking holes (delivering either five or one food pellet). After the establishment of a baseline preference for the large reinforcer, a delay was introduced before the delivery of the five food pellets, which was progressively increased each day (10, 20, 30, 45, 60, 80, 100 sec). As expected, all animals exhibited a progressive shift toward the immediate but smaller reinforcer. A reduced level of impulsive behavior (i.e., a shift to the right in the intolerance-delay curve) was evidenced in BPA-treated rats. The frequency of inadequate responding (during the length of the delay) also provided a measure of restless behavior. Interestingly, the profile of BPA-treated males was feminized, strongly resembling that of control females. Animals were then tested (experiment 3) for the response to an amphetamine challenge (1 mg/kg, subcutaneously). The drug-induced increment activity was significantly less marked in BPA-treated male rats compared with controls. These findings provide clear indirect evidence of long-term alterations in brain monoaminergic function after perinatal BPA exposure. This may be a cause for concern for public health, confirming that exposure to a weak environmental estrogen in the period of sexual differentiation of the brain can influence adult behavior.