Prevention of soman-induced cognitive deficits by pretreatment with human butyrylcholinesterase in rats.

This study examined the ability of pretreatment with human serum butyrylcholinesterase (HuBChE) to prevent soman-induced cognitive impairments. Behavioral testing was carried out using the Morris water maze task evaluating learning, memory, and reversal learning processes. Pretreatment with HuBChE significantly prevented the memory and reversal learning impairments induced by soman. A small deficiency in performance was observed only during part of the learning period in HuBChE-treated rats after administration of soman. Results support the contention that pretreatment alone with HuBChE is sufficient to increase survival and to prevent impairment in cognitive functioning following exposure to soman.