| Title |
Administration of Thimerosal to Infant Rats Increases Overflow of Glutamate and Aspartate in the Prefrontal Cortex: Protective Role of Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Neurochemical Research, October 2011
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s11064-011-0630-z |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Michalina Duszczyk-Budhathoki, Mieszko Olczak, Malgorzata Lehner, Maria Dorota Majewska |
| Abstract |
Thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative, is a suspected factor in the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. We previously showed that its administration to infant rats causes behavioral, neurochemical and neuropathological abnormalities similar to those present in autism. Here we examined, using microdialysis, the effect of thimerosal on extracellular levels of neuroactive amino acids in the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC). Thimerosal administration (4 injections, i.m., 240 μg Hg/kg on postnatal days 7, 9, 11, 15) induced lasting changes in amino acid overflow: an increase of glutamate and aspartate accompanied by a decrease of glycine and alanine; measured 10-14 weeks after the injections. Four injections of thimerosal at a dose of 12.5 μg Hg/kg did not alter glutamate and aspartate concentrations at microdialysis time (but based on thimerosal pharmacokinetics, could have been effective soon after its injection). Application of thimerosal to the PFC in perfusion fluid evoked a rapid increase of glutamate overflow. Coadministration of the neurosteroid, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS; 80 mg/kg; i.p.) prevented the thimerosal effect on glutamate and aspartate; the steroid alone had no influence on these amino acids. Coapplication of DHEAS with thimerosal in perfusion fluid also blocked the acute action of thimerosal on glutamate. In contrast, DHEAS alone reduced overflow of glycine and alanine, somewhat potentiating the thimerosal effect on these amino acids. Since excessive accumulation of extracellular glutamate is linked with excitotoxicity, our data imply that neonatal exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines might induce excitotoxic brain injuries, leading to neurodevelopmental disorders. DHEAS may partially protect against mercurials-induced neurotoxicity. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 64 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 13 | 20% |
| Canada | 5 | 8% |
| India | 1 | 2% |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | 2% |
| New Zealand | 1 | 2% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 2% |
| Italy | 1 | 2% |
| Germany | 1 | 2% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 2 | 3% |
| Unknown | 37 | 58% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 56 | 88% |
| Scientists | 6 | 9% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 2% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 56 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2 | 4% |
| Netherlands | 1 | 2% |
| Germany | 1 | 2% |
| Spain | 1 | 2% |
| Brazil | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 50 | 89% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 9 | 16% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 13% |
| Other | 5 | 9% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 9% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 7% |
| Other | 13 | 23% |
| Unknown | 13 | 23% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 14 | 25% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 8 | 14% |
| Psychology | 6 | 11% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 5% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 3 | 5% |
| Other | 9 | 16% |
| Unknown | 13 | 23% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 282. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 18 December 2023.
All research outputs
#128,064
of 25,736,439 outputs
Outputs from Neurochemical Research
#3
of 2,272 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#405
of 152,858 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Neurochemical Research
#1
of 15 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,736,439 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,272 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.8. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
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