Miyachi Y, Kasai H, Ohyama H, Yamada T
Division of Biology, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan.
Neurosci Lett. 1994 Jul 4;175(1-2):92-4. doi: 10.1016/0304-3940(94)91086-3.
Social isolation has been widely described to induce compulsive aggressive behavior and produce a large decrease of brain serotonin turnover in male mice. The aggressiveness by isolation in mice has been often used as a means for a better understanding of disturbed behavior in human beings. We found that male ICR white Swiss mice exhibiting isolation-induced aggression became gradually calm and showed remarkably quiet behavior 7 to 10 days after whole body irradiation of very low-dose X-rays (5-15 cGy). Higher doses (25-35 cGy), however, could not induce such effects. We also obtained the data on brain biochemistry giving a further support for the above low-dose effects on the mouse behavior. Brain serotonin turnover which has been known to be related to aggressive behavior in 5 or 15 cGy irradiated mice was faster than in aggressive control animals.
