REVIEW OF EXPERIMENTAL MALE-MEDIATED BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL DISORDERS

Paternal exposures to exogenous agents have been reported to produce a variety of developmental defects in the offspring. In experimental an imals, these effects include decreased litter size and weight, increas ed stillbirth and neonatal death, birth defects, tumors, and functiona l/behavioral abnormalities-some of these effects being transmitted to the second and third generations. This article reviews the exogenous a gents that have reportedly caused behavioral or neurochemical alterati ons in offspring of experimental animals following paternal exposures, including advanced age, alcohols, cyclophosphamide, ethylene dibromid e, lead, opiates, and a few miscellaneous chemicals. Based upon the co nsistency of effects in several of these agents in a variety of studie s in experimental animals, the conclusion is that paternal exposures m ay contribute to the incidence of neurobehavioral disorders in humans. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.