Effects of neonatal toluene exposure on the development of evoked and spontaneous cortical activity in the rat.

The effects of neonatal toluene exposure on the development of cortical evoked responses to sciatic nerve and light stimulation, as well as the spontaneous Electrocorticogram (ECoG) of frontal and occipital regions, were studied in rats at different developmental ages. The major findings following the solvent exposure were a significant prolongation in the mean peak latencies of both primary and secondary cortical evoked responses the effects being more severe in the sensorimotor area than in the visual cortical region. Additionally the experimental animals did not show significant differences in the average frequencies histograms of the ECoG in both neocortical areas when compared with control littermates. The data suggest that early toluene exposure was primarily affecting those brain structures underlying locomotor abilities than those related with the functionality of the CNS visual centers.