Monkeys exposed to X-rays in the prenatal period later have memory problems, reports the journal Biological Psychiatry.
Learning and memory disabilities are important components of the disability associated with schizophrenia, and they show up well before the onset of other symptoms of the disease. This suggests that they are a consequence of abnormal brain development.
To investigate the influence of external harmful factors in the fetal period, scientists from the Yale University School of Medicine exposed monkey fetuses to X-rays and checked the consequences of this in adult monkeys as young as XNUMX years old.
It turned out that the irradiation caused a significant deterioration of memory (compared to non-irradiated monkeys), although when the memory tests were performed earlier (at the age of 1 to 2 years), no abnormalities were found.
Dr. Selemon explained that the results of the research suggest that in humans, harmful factors in utero may also cause mental disorders. He noted, however, that the radiation dose was many times greater than in the case of medical X-ray examinations. (PAP)