Neurotoxicity of methylmercury in the pigeon.

Pigeons repeatedly exposed to sublethal doses of methylmercury (5-10 mg Hg/kg/wk, po, for 34-77 days) exhibited marked behavioral changes that were accompanied by only minor evidence of neuropathologic changes at the light microscopic level. Accuracy and rate of pecking for grain declined while food intake remained unchanged. Methylmercury produced permanent changes in posture and in motor coordination. The regional distribution of methylmercury within the nervous system was poorly correlated with the distribution of pathologic changes. Overt behavioral signs appeared after the brain accumulated more than about 12 to 16 ppm Hg. Data with pigeons support earlier evidence that the dose-response function for methylmercury is modulated by dose rate and duration of exposure, since the pattern of blood and tissue distribution of Hg is established in advance of the appearance of signs. The pigeon is more sensitive to methylmercury than are mice and rats, but less sensitive than primates.