Neurotoxic effects of acrylamide on rat retinogeniculate fibres.

The common laboratory chemical, acrylamide, causes various clinical effects including dysfunction of the visual system. Previous electrophysiological recordings from the rat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) following exposure to acrylamide suggested that X-like cells were selectively disrupted by the neurotoxin. This study examines the possibility that the diameter of the optic tract fibres may underlie their differential susceptibility, but shows that fibres of all sizes are affected by acrylamide intoxication and the results suggest that the selective effect of acrylamide is not due simply to disruption of optic tract fibres.