Nervous System Toxicology

Scientists agree that exposure to toxic agents in the environment can cause neurological and psychiatric illnesses ranging from headaches and depression to syndromes resembling parkinsonism. It can even result in death at high exposure levels. The emergence of subclinical neurotoxicity-the concept that long-term impairments can escape clinical detection-makes the need for risk assessment even more critical. This volume paves the way toward definitive solutions, presenting the current consensus on risk assessment and environmental toxicants and offering specific recommendations. The book covers: The biologic basis of neurotoxicity. Progress in the application of biologic markers. Reviews of a wide range of in vitro and in vivo testing techniques. The use of surveillance and epidemiology to identify neurotoxic hazards that escape premarket screening. Research needs. This volume will be an important resource for policymakers, health specialists, researchers, and students.

This volume addresses some facets of the adverse actions of chemical agents on the central and peripheral nervous systems in developing and mature states. Some of the effects of these chemicals are short-lasting and rapidly reversible; others, especially those that cause structural damage to the nervous system, may result in permanent damage to the organism. The nervous system has several levels of vulnerability to toxic substances. Some substances perturb ion channels or synaptic mechanisms required for the orderly transfer of electrochemical information within the nervous system. Others disrupt sites required for the maintenance of cellular integrity, and these variably result in degenerative responses of neurons and myelinating cells. Further sites of vulnerability include the delicate neural vasculature and neurohumeral mechanisms responsible for physiological homeostasis. The science of neurotoxicology inevitably is a multidisciplinary endeavor, with contributions from biochemistry, physiology, morphology and behavior, to name a few. The challenge is to apply appropriate techniques to investigate neurotoxic phenomena. The first logical step in this analysis is to determine from the point of view of the nervous system the nature of the exposure. Is the chemical a single or multiple entity; is it metabolized; how does it gain access to neural tissue? Once these factors are understood, changes induced by the exposure can be described at various levels from the biochemical to the behavioral.

This book, the second of three volumes, concentrates on peripheral nervous system disorders. Examining the effects of neurotoxicants on nerve, muscle and the neuromuscular junction, it builds on the scientific principles outlined in volume 1 by looking at the application of the methods discussed, particularly in terms of the evaluation and diagnosis of individual patients and the related process of establishing causation. Neurobehavorial Toxicology, Volume 2 will be of interest to practicing neurologists and neuropsychologists, as well as to occupational medicine physicians and medical toxicologists.

Clinical Neurotoxicology offers accurate, relevant, and comprehensive coverage of a field that has grown tremendously in the last 20 years. You’ll get a current symptomatic approach to treating disorders caused by neurotoxic agents, environmental factors—such as heavy metals and pesticides—and more. Apply discussions of cellular and molecular processes and pathology to clinical neurology. Leading authorities and up-and-coming clinical neurotoxicologists present their expertise on wide-ranging, global subjects and debate controversies in the specialty, including Gulf War Syndrome. Provides a complete listing of neurotoxic agents—from manufactured to environmental—so you get comprehensive, clinical coverage. Covers how toxins manifest themselves according to age and co-morbidity so that you can address the needs of all your patients. Offers broad and in-depth coverage of toxins from all over the world through contributions by leading authorities and up-and-coming clinical neurotoxicologists. Features discussion of controversial and unusual topics such as Gulf War Syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease, motor neuron disease, as well as other issues that are still in question.

The most recent volume in the Drinking Water and Health series contains the results of a two-part study on the toxicity of drinking water contaminants. The first part examines current practices in risk assessment, identifies new noncancerous toxic responses to chemicals found in drinking water, and discusses the use of pharmacokinetic data to estimate the delivered dose and response. The second part of the book provides risk assessments for 14 specific compounds, 9 presented here for the first time.

This is the final volume in a three-volume work that has addressed the scientific methodologies relevant to clinical neurobehavioral toxicology. Volume I focused on basic concepts and methodologies in Neurobehavioral Toxicology, with Volume II focusing on the peripheral nervous system. Volume III attends to what is known about industrial and environmental chemicals, medicines, and substances of abuse and how these agents affect the central nervous system. All substances have the capacity to be toxic, depending on factors that include the physical properties of the chemical or compound, organism related variables, or interaction between the two. These substances on the other hand and as a result of these same factors might be used therapeutically or even recreationally. The difference between medicine, recreational drug, or poison depends often on a careful balance between adverse and intended effects. How to determine that a specified substance has caused harm is emphasized in the present volume by way of case examples and discussion. Illnesses and behavioral variations that compete with toxicant-induced explanations for findings in a given case, as well as the various controversies that can arise around issues of diagnosis and causal determination, are treated comprehensively in this volume.