摘要Developmental exposure to bisphenol A(BPA),an endocrine-disrupting contaminant,impairs cognitive function in both animals and humans.However,whether BPA affects the development of primary sensory systems,which are the first to mature in the cortex,remains largely unclear.Using the rat as a model,we aimed to record the physiological and structural changes in the primary audi-tory cortex(Al)following lactational BPA exposure and their possible effects on behavioral outcomes.We found that BPA-exposed rats showed significant behavioral impairments when performing a sound temporal rate discrimination test.A significant alteration in spectral and temporal processing was also recorded in their Al,manifested as degraded frequency selectivity and dimin-ished stimulus rate-following by neurons.These post-exposure effects were accompanied by changes in the density and maturity of dendritic spines in Al.Our findings demonstrated developmental impacts of BPA on auditory cortical processing and auditory-related discrimination,particularly in the temporal domain.Thus,the health implications for humans associated with early exposure to endocrine disruptors such as BPA merit more careful examination.