ArticleNature communications2013
Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees.
Article in Nature communications, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 106 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 277 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neonicotinoid Insecticides and Their Impacts on Bees: A Systematic Review of Research Approaches and Identification of Knowledge Gaps.PloS one · 2015Pooled it
- Sublethal Acetamiprid Exposure Induces Ovarian Degeneration and HSP70/HSP90 Overexpression in Honey Bee Queens (Veterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Article
- Sulfoxaflor reduces food intake and learning efficiency of solitary Osmia bicornis bees.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Review
- Neurotranscriptomic profiling of deformed wing virus-infected honey bee foragers (Apis mellifera) with different cognitive abilities.Biology open · 2025Article
- Assessing species-specific neonicotinoid toxicity using cross-species chimeric nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in a Drosophila model.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Sub-lethal imidacloprid exposure leads to presynaptic and postsynaptic alterations.Research square · 2025Article
- Synergistic Effects of Amitraz and Dinotefuran on Honey Bee Health: Impacts on Survival, Gene Expression, and Hypopharyngeal Gland Morphology.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Reduced Honeybee Pollen Foraging under Neonicotinoid Exposure: Exploring Reproducible Individual and Colony Level Effects in the Field Using AI and Simulation.Environmental science & technology · 2025Article
- Article
- Article
- Article
- Exposure to an insecticide formulation alters chemosensory orientation, but not floral scent detection, in buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris).Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Exploring neonicotinoid effects onFrontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Mouthparts of the bumblebee (eLife · 2023Article
- Effects of pesticide-adjuvant combinations used in almond orchards on olfactory responses to social signals in honey bees (Apis mellifera).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- A neonicotinoid pesticide alters Drosophila olfactory processing.Scientific reports · 2023Article
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Pesticides that target cholinergic neurotransmission are highly effective, but their use has been implicated in insect pollinator population decline. Honeybees are exposed to two widely used classes of cholinergic pesticide: neonicotinoids (nicotinic receptor agonists) and organophosphate miticides (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors). Although sublethal levels of neonicotinoids are known to disrupt honeybee learning and behaviour, the neurophysiological basis of these effects has not been shown. Here, using recordings from mushroom body Kenyon cells in acutely isolated honeybee brain, we show that the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and clothianidin, and the organophosphate miticide coumaphos oxon, cause a depolarization-block of neuronal firing and inhibit nicotinic responses. These effects are observed at concentrations that are encountered by foraging honeybees and within the hive, and are additive with combined application. Our findings demonstrate a neuronal mechanism that may account for the cognitive impairments caused by neonicotinoids, and predict that exposure to multiple pesticides that target cholinergic signalling will cause enhanced toxicity to pollinators.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.