Impact of Chronic Oral Administration of Gold Nanoparticles on Cognitive Abilities of Mice.

The influence of gold nanoparticles after their prolonged oral administration to mice (during pregnancy and lactation) on spatial memory and anxiety levels in offspring was investigated. Offspring were tested in the Morris water maze and in the elevated Plus-maze. The average specific mass content of gold which crossed the blood-brain barrier was measured using neutron activation analysis and constituted 3.