The dynamics of monoamine metabolism in rat brain structures in the late period after exposure to accelerated carbon ions

Abstract

We studied the effect of carbon ions (12C) with an energy of 500 MeV/nucleon at a dose of 1 Gy on monoamine metabolism in the brains of rats of different ages. Neurochemical parameters that characterize the distribution of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and its metabolites were evaluated during 2 months on days 30 and 90 after the exposure to radiation. We studied the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and striatum. The results showed changes in the activities of the NA, DA, and 5-HT systems in rats of different age groups after exposure to radiation. The most prominent differences in the exposed and control animals were observed in the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus, which indicates the important role of these brain regions in long-term effects of exposure to radiation on the central nervous system. A comparison of animals from different age groups showed a decrease in the intensity of the temporal changes in all analyzed structures except the striatum in the exposed rats. Based on these findings, we assumed that the activation of compensatory and repairing mechanisms occurs in the late post-radiation period. At relatively low linear energy transfer of particles (10.6 keV/µm), it may lead to the partial recovery of brain functions that were impaired by radiation. At higher values of the linear energy transfer, the compensatory and recovery processes are activated to a lesser degree and functional impairment increases with time.