VALIDATION OF BEHAVIORAL STUDIES FOR DETERMINING NEUROTOXICITY Study I - Optovarimex Monitoring of Spontaneous Activity Study II - Learning and Memory Study III - Home-Cage Monitoring of Consummatory Behavior
"INTRODUCTION: Adverse outcomes resulting from toxicant exposure may take a variety of forms@ including gross/anatomical (e.g.@ tumor@ lesion@ death) or functional (e.g.@ enzyme@ immune@ behavior) alterations. Therefore@ any comprehensive assessment of the toxicity of a given chemical should involve evaluation of endpoints in both of these areas. ""Behavior""@ a prime example of a functional endpoint@ represents the sum-output of the operation of all anatomical and functional systems. Therefore@ tests designed to assess this endpoint (behavior) should provide useful information regarding chemical intoxication at levels where gross and/or anatomical alterations may not yet be observed. In addition@ behavioral tests provide a non-invasive means of toxicity evaluation and thus can be conducted on animals scheduled for other types of toxicity tests (subchronic studies@ carcinogenesis bioassays@ etc.). The major objectives of the 1981-83 API Behavioral Studies were to develop and validate a select number of separate but inter-related tests of function (behavior/ physiology) which would be useful to industry for toxicity assessment (not necessarily just neurotoxicity) of a given chemical to which a human population might be exposed (Cranmer and Goad@ 1982). An integral part of this objective was to assess determination of the sensitivity and utility of the developed methodology. The ultimate goal was the derivation of a battery of behavioral tasks which would be useful in the screening of petroleum-derived materials for functional toxicity (Cranmeretal.@ 1982)."