Effects of low-level x-irradiation on cat cerebella at different postnatal intervals. I. Quantitative evaluation of morphological changes.

Whole head fractionated doses of 200 r and 150 r were initiated postnatally in five experimental age groups (birth, 1-week, 2-week, 3-week and 4-week) and continued over a period of 14 or 20 days to prevent reconstitution of the external granular layer. Animals irradiated at birth displayed minor deficits in behavior, which included ataxia, tremor, hypertonus and dysmetria, while animals irradiated at 1-week showed only mild symptoms of hypermetria. All other animals displayed no motor deficits. Animals irradiated at birth had smaller eyes and ears, a reduction in the size of the entire head and were susceptible to seizures. All animals were sacrified at 70 days of age. The cerebellum was found to be reduced in size and weight, the greatest deficit being seen in animals x-irradiated at the very early ages. Newborn condition animals were found to have large compliments of interneurons in the molecular layer, an established internal granular layer, and Purkinje cells were found to have a normal orientation, position, and to be unreduced in number or size. Total granule cell deficits were found to range from 83% at birth to 29% at four weeks. Quantitative changes for the molecular layer, internal granular layer, medullary layer, Purkinje cell to granule cell ratio, and granule cell density, all depicted the greatest changes in the newborn, 1-week and 2-week conditions. This experiment confirmed that the critical period in the development at which damage would result in behavioral abnormalities was from birth to five days, while for neuroanatomical abnormalities, this critical period was from birth to 18 days.