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Acute Exposure to Imidacloprid Lowers T-maze performance in Adult CD-1 Mice

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide that protects crops like potatoes, corn, sugar beets, and rice from blood-sucking and chewing insects. Imidacloprid’s strong binding affinity for insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) is a crucial reason why imidacloprid remains the most widely used chemical insecticide. These beforementioned receptors, which play a significant role in learning and memory, are susceptible to biochemical changes or alterations. Because imidacloprid can bind to mammalian receptors, researchers have recently sought to challenge the idea of imidacloprid’s presumed safety for humans. In our study, in hopes of narrowing the research gap on neonicotinoids’ effect on mammalian species, specifically knowledge of how acute exposure to imidacloprid can impair mammalian cognition, we sought to examine the influence of imidacloprid exposure on the learning and memory of adult CD-1 mice. Using a T-maze behavior analysis exam, which tests the procedural learning of adult CD-1 mice, we found that male and female adult CD-1 mice with acute exposure to imidacloprid performed significantly worse than the control group, indicating acute exposure to imidacloprid can cause impairment to the cognitive functions of adult CD-1 mice.

Author: 
Souzane Ntamubano
School: 
Connecticut College
Department: 
Cellular & Molecular Biology
Research Advisor: 
Dr. Megan Mahoney
Department of Research Advisor: 
Comparative Biosciences
Year of Publication: 
2022