Abstract |
With the growing importance of neurobehavioral assessments at the preliminary stage of chemical testing, it is critical that the screening procedures utilized be valid indicators of neurobehavioral dysfunction in addition to being sensitive, specific, and reliable. Efforts in this laboratory have been directed towards assessing these features in the use of a functional observational battery (FOB). For the purpose of assessing validity, data collected using the FOB which addresses the issues of criterion, predictive, concurrent, and construct validity have been examined. It is reported that the FOB appears to be valid for detecting chemical-induced neurological dysfunction in rats, that is, shows a good degree of criterion validity. Furthermore, in many instances the effects observed with the FOB may be predictive of symptomatology in humans. When comparisons can be made between effects detected with the FOB and other methods of measuring neurotoxicity (that is, neuropathology), concurrent validity can also be established. To assess construct validity, effects of neurotoxicants can be classified into functional domains which are described by the various measures of the FOB. (Copyright (c) Pergamon Press plc, 1990.) |