Conclusions
We suggest that BBP administration disrupts normal learning and social behavior, and that these effects could be related to alterations of amygdala function.
Results
BBP treated rats showed decreased freezing in fear conditioning, no changes in open field exploration, and increased aberrant social behavior. Rats were sacrificed at post natal day 140 and blood and brains were harvested and processed. We found increased hormonally active estrogen, 17-β estradiol, in the serum of BBP treated rats. BBP treatment also induced changes in amygdalar proteins related to synaptic plasticity including decreased MeCP2 levels that correlated with tests of sociability with no changes in stress related proteins such as nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB). We also found alterations in physiological responses as measured by body weight without changes in food consumption suggesting disruption of metabolism and body homeostasis. Conclusions: We suggest that BBP administration disrupts normal learning and social behavior, and that these effects could be related to alterations of amygdala function.