You are here:
Neurobehavioral toxicity testing for risk assessment.
Citation:
MOSER, V. C. Neurobehavioral toxicity testing for risk assessment. Presented at Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference, Cincinnati, OH, April 15 - 18, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Discussion of neurobehavioral toxicity testing for risk assessment.
Description:
Neurobehavioral evaluations are key components in neurotoxicity testing. In the realm of regulatory testing, these evaluations range from a functional observational battery (FOB) and an Irwin’s screen, which assess the neurological, motor, and functional integrity of the subject, to clinical observations, which record only abnormalities in a list of endpoints. In addition, motor activity is often used as an objective, apical measure of neural function. These methods have been widely used with a variety of chemicals. Data interpretation requires a consideration of the overall profile of effects. Several cross-laboratory comparisons using behavioral test methods have been published, which provide critical information on the validity and reliability of the methods under different testing conditions. Such data provide important information on baseline and treatment data. Since most of the observations are subjective, observer training and proper conduct of the study are critical. Neurobehavioral assessments are now standard and accepted in adult neurotoxicity studies; there is also growing interest in testing laboratory animals at very young ages and throughout development. Such data have been used extensively in the risk assessment and understanding of neurotoxicity produced by a range of chemicals. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.