You are here:
INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ADULTS FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENT EXPOSURE TO NEUROTOXICANTS: ANOTHER SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION?
Citation:
Moser, V C. INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY OF ADULTS FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENT EXPOSURE TO NEUROTOXICANTS: ANOTHER SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION? Presented at 19th International Neurotoxicology Conference, Colorado Springs, CO, 8/25-28, 2001.
Description:
There is considerable public and regulatory interest in the adverse outcomes of developmental exposure to toxicants. The 1996 Food Quality Protection Act spurred research on understanding potential neurotoxic, immunotoxic, and endocrine outcomes in susceptible populations, particularly following pesticide exposure. As a result, emphasis has been placed on studying effects in adult offspring following developmental exposure. Relatively little research, however, has focused on adult and/or aged organisms which may be differentially sensitive to toxicants due to the history of prior exposure. Indeed, this may represent a sensitive subpopulation that is largely ignored. Current developmental neurotoxicity test guidelines evaluate the developing and young adult rat (up to 60 days of age). Functional compensation may occur, making this age group appear unaltered despite underlying neurological changes. Such testing procedures are unable to address the hypothesis that these offspring may be more sensitive to challenges using the same or different toxicants. Recent data indicate that perinatal/adolescent exposure to pesticides and/or metals may alter dopaminergic neurochemistry in adult rats, even months after exposure has ended. This alteration may well render the dopamergic system more sensitive to subsequent exposure, leading to neurodegenerative changes later in life. Without test methods in place, which would involve appropriate chemical challenges and/or testing later in life, such influences will remain unknown. Research in this area is therefore critical to understanding the potential influences of developmental toxicant exposure on neurological and degenerative outcomes, and will perhaps improve hazard identification and risk assessment for this subpopulation.
This is an abstract of a proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.