Liu_1990_Neurotoxicol.Teratol_12_73

A series of neurobehavioral testing procedures was used to evaluate the behavioral effects of the pyridinium aldoxime cholinesterase reactivator HI-6 in male Sprague-Dawley rats. These procedures were fixed-ratio (FR) responding, shuttle-box conditioned avoidance response (CAR), conditioned taste aversion (CTA), drinking behavior, open-field exploratory behavior, negative geotaxis, and wire suspension time. Dose-response studies of HI-6 at dose-levels of 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, or saline (IP) were evaluated. HI-6 disrupted FR responding in a dose-dependent fashion, with significant effects occurring at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg. The pattern of disruption was characterized by extended periods of nonresponding having an abrupt onset and offset. HI-6 produced CTA in a dose-related manner, with significant effects at doses equal to those that disrupted FR performance. HI-6 did not alter CAR, drinking motivation, exploratory behavior, negative geotaxis, or wire suspension time. These data suggest that there may be a commonality in the underlying mechanism(s) for the disruption in FR performance and the induction of the CTA. This mechanism may relate to the presumed drug-induced adverse internal state inducing the CTA.