Behavioral Measures of Neurotoxicity (1990) / Chapter Skim
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Introduction
Introduction
Pages 1-10
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From page 1... ...
Behavioral analysis is a process of "sampling" the integrated outputs of these various functions. The major objectives of neurobehavioral toxicity testing are to determine whether exposure to a potentially toxic chemical produces effects on these functions that exceed the organism's ability to adjust, to assist in identifying the nature of such malfunctions, and to provide information about the effects of extended exposure (both dose and time effects)
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They may be applied repeatedly to study progressive effects of contacts with toxicants, for monitoring the effectiveness of regulations established to control adverse exposures, and to assist in the management of patients under treatment for toxic illnesses. IDENTIFICATION OF BEHAVIORAL TOXIC AGENTS It is obviously desirable that potential dangers resulting from chemical agents in the environment be identified as early as possible.
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made it convincingly clear that potentially toxic chemicals are to be found in all human environments. Discovering these "ecological traps," defining their effects on behavior, and inventing methods for preventing them from being sprung is yet another area of critical issues for the foreseeable future.
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THE MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIOR A quarter of a century ago, a physician employed by a large industrial firm published a challenge in the Journal of Occupational Medicine entitled "Functional Testing for Behavioral Toxicity: A Missing Dimension in Experimental Environmental Toxicology" (Ruffin, 1963~. The challenge is currently being met by the development of methods for measuring behavior, their standardization, and their applications.
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The unanimous answer has been, "From the womb to the tomb." The existence of critical issues at the beginning of this broad range was emphasized in 1987 by the appearance of the following statement in the journal Reproductive Toxicology: "The most relevant data [for female reproductive risk assessment] come from studies reported in humans, however, these are not generally available" (Sakai, 1987~.
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The fact that chemicals, both natural and synthetic, may trigger long-latency, neurological, and behavioral disorders without early detection emphasizes the importance of longitudinal as well as crosssectional studies of behavioral toxicants. Examples of this species of critical issues are also to be found among the progressive degenerative dementias.
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In considering the wide use of animal models in neurobehavioral toxicology, it seems clear that such models will continue to play critical roles in the future as they have in the past. REGIONAL REQUIREMENTS Questions of critical regional requirements are raised whenever neurobehavioral toxicology has an international audience.
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One of the most difficult tasks in efforts to alter existing toxic conditions will continue to be that of social change, of changing human behavior patterns, attitudes, and life-styles. COMMUNICATION As the need for solutions to problems of environmental management has become perceived as critical among major social issues, more attention has been turned to questions of communication among a wide variety of groups with different capabilities and different responsibilities.
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To achieve an integrated body of knowledge and its applications demands a multidisciplinary approach. The breadth of disciplines involved precludes all neurobehavioral toxicologists from being experts in all the relevant disciplines.
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1963. Functional testing for behavioral toxicology: A missing dimension in experimental environmental toxicology.
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