Physiological Effects of Nuclear Radiations on the Central Nervous System

Behavioral Arousal and Neural Activation as Radiosensitive Reactions

“…With radiation doses ranging from 200 to 1,000 r, both cortical and subcorticalsystems may undergo alterations in spontaneous and evoked activity during the period of exposure (8) or immediately thereafter (5,6). Phasic alterations in excitability of the mammalian nervous system following extremely low doses of radiation have also been reported in various reviews of the Soviet literature (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)o Although these alterations in central nervous system function may reflect CNS reactions to abscopal effects of irradiation, more direct 1 stimulation of the nervous system by ionizing radiation also is possible. Visual stimulation by ionizing radiation under conditions of dark adaptation has long been known to occur (15,16) and very likely is mediated through effects on the photochemical processes of the receptor at energy levels nearly comparable to those required for stmizulation with visible light (17)(18)(19).…”