Instrumental Behaviour of Albino Rats in Response to Incident X Radiation

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Albino rats were placed in shuttle boxes, each containing a black and a white compartment. The apparatus was placed in an X-ray field so that experimental subjects were exposed to continuous low-level radiation during all time spent in the black compartment of the shuttle box. A lead screen effectively shielded the white compartments so that experimental subjects could escape from the radiation by remaining at the white end. Control subjects received no radiation in either compartment. The change in preference for the black compartment differed between the four groups during the course of the radiation exposure. The absolute magnitude of change was inversely related to dose-rate with the group exposed to 1 r per minute showing the greatest decrease. The threshold for appearance of the effect was observed to be a linear function of dose-rate and appeared invariant with respect to total dose within the range of dose-rates employed.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: