Chlorpheniramine as a Prophylaxis to Radiation-Induced Performance Decrement in the Monkey
Abstract
The effectiveness of the antihistamine chlorpheniramine maleate in preventing the early performance decrement in monkeys following a supralethal dose of ionizing radiation was investigated. Twenty-five male monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were trained to perform a discrete trial, cued avoidance task. Ten of these monkeys were injected intravenously with isotonic saline 30 minutes before irradiation. Five monkeys were injected with 20 mg of chlorpheniramine and were performance tested 24 hours prior to irradiation. These five animals and 10 additional animals were then injected with 10 mg of chlorpheniramine at 60 minutes and at 30 minutes before irradiation. The monkeys were tested and their performance was recorded for 2 hours following a 4000-rad dose of mixed gamma- neutron radiation; blood pressure was monitored in 20 of the monkeys. The performance of the chlorpheniramine-treated monkeys was markedly superior to that of the saline-treated group during the first 30 minutes post-irradiation (the period generally associated with early transient incapacitation). With the exception of one group of five monkeys, the antihistamine-treated animals performed significantly better than the saline-treated monkeys during the entire 2-hour postirradiation observation period.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0764886
Entities
People
- C. R. Curran
- J. E. Turns
- T. F. Doyle
Organizations
- Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute