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X-ray to fetus causes memory damage appearing years later

They exposed fetal monkeys to x-rays and then examined their behavior when they were adults, approximately 5 years later. They found that irradiated adult monkeys exhibited a profound deficit in working memory ability compared to adult monkeys that had not been exposed to x-rays

Fetal X-ray exposure interferes with memory in adulthood, monkey study finds, ScienceDaily , (July 5, 2010) — Learning and memory impairments are important contributors to the disability associated with schizophrenia. These functional impairments emerge long before the onset of other symptoms associated with schizophrenia, suggesting that they are a consequence of a disturbance in brain development.
In order to investigate the impact of early life disturbances in brain development upon learning and memory, researchers at the Yale University School of Medicine conducted a study that required a remarkable degree of commitment and planning. They exposed fetal monkeys to x-rays and then examined their behavior when they were adults, approximately 5 years later. They found that irradiated adult monkeys exhibited a profound deficit in working memory ability compared to adult monkeys that had not been exposed to x-rays. Notably, these same irradiated monkeys had not shown any working memory impairment when tested as juveniles (1 to 2½ years old). These findings suggest that this relatively mild insult to the developing brain early in gestation, even before cortical neurons are generated, produced profound cognitive dysfunction that emerged only with maturation to adulthood.
“Our non-human primate study mirrors what has been observed in human populations: that mild prenatal stressors increase the risk for developing neuropsychiatric illness in adulthood,” explained Dr. Selemon……

Fetal X-ray exposure interferes with memory in adulthood, monkey study finds

July 7, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health | antinuclear, nuclear, radiation, radioactive