Immediate Detection of X-rays by the Rat

Abstract

RECENTLY we postulated that mammals perceive radiation and have commenced an investigation of its perceptual aspects and its underlying physiological receptor mechanism. Small doses of radiation (10–20 r.) have been used as a noxious stimulus to establish avoidance reactions in blind and normal laboral tory animals under a wide variety of experimenta-conditions^1–4. While these experiments indicate that animals perceive radiation, they afford no measure of the reaction time of the animal to the onset of the radiation exposure. We are now measuring this important parameter in rats by using X-rays as a warning stimulus to signal the occurrence of a subsequent electric shock to the animal's paws.