Behavioral consequences in rats from chronic exposure to 10 PPM halothane during early development.

Albino rats were chronically exposed for 40 hours a week to 10 ppm halothane in air during early development (conception to day 60), adult life (day 60 to day 135), or both. An unexposed group served as a control. Rats exposed during early development made 30 percent more errors than rats unexposed during this period when tested on a shock-motivated visual-discrimination task, or a food-motivated spatial-discrimination task. However, the relative rate of learning was the same for all groups. Exposure during early development also lowered the jump and flinch thresholds to electric footshock as compared to animals not so treated.