The neurobehavioral effects of subchronic manganese exposure in the presence and absence of pre-parkinsonism.

Recent studies have implicated chronic elevated exposures to environmental agents, such as metals (e.g., manganese, Mn) and pesticides, as contributors to neurological disease. In particular, there is a concern that sensitive subpopulations such as the aged may be at increased risk for the onset of neurologic disorders because elevated exposures to Mn is associated with increased incidence of parkinsonism. Here, we utilized a rat model of pre-parkinsonism to investigate the effects of Mn exposure on neurotoxicity and the exacerbation of parkinsonism. A pre-parkinsonism state was induced using a unilateral intrastriatal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), followed 4 weeks later by Mn exposure (4.8 mg Mn/kgx3 intraperitoneal injections/week) for 5 weeks. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (n=44) were divided among the following treatments: (A) control, saline/vehicle; (B) Mn only; (C) 6-OHDA only; and (D) 6-OHDA+Mn. Brain Mn levels were measured by ICP-MS. Neurobehavioral function was assessed following Mn exposure using a functional observational battery (FOB) consisting of 10 neurobehavioral tests. Unilateral 6-OHDA lesions produced significant ipsilateral vs. contralateral striatal dopamine depletions (60-70%), but no measurable impairment of neurobehavioral function, thereby substantiating this pre-parkinsonism (i.e., subthreshold) model. In contrast, Mn exposure resulted in significant impairment of neurobehavioral function for eight of the 10 FOB tests. No effects of Mn exposure on striatal dopamine depletion were detected, despite the 3.4-fold increase in brain Mn levels over controls. Notably, Mn exposure in the presence of a pre-parkinsonism state significantly exacerbated the neurobehavioral impairment in the reactivity to handling (P<.049) and hopping contralateral rear limb (P<.033) FOB tests. While the persistence and Mn dose-response relationship of these neurobehavioral effects were not evaluated here, these results nonetheless suggest that chronic Mn exposure may increase the risk of neurobehavioral impairment in subpopulations that are in a pre-parkinsonism state.