Assessing effects of neurotoxic pollutants by biochemical markers

Neurotoxins cause biochemical and molecular events which indicate early sta ge effects in exposed persons well before or well below the induction of ov ert disease. Monitoring these early events may represent a valid approach t o developing markers of neurotoxicity in individuals exposed to environment al chemicals. In neurotoxicology, the use of biochemical markers is more pr oblematic compared to other fields due to the complexity of central nervous system function, the multistage nature of neurotoxic events, and the inacc essibility of target tissue, Nevertheless, new biochemical assays have been developed in recent years to assess exposure, subclinical effects, and sus ceptibility to neurotoxic disorders. This paper reviews novel biomarkers of neurotoxicity and discusses perspectives and limitations of their use in o ccupational and environmental medicine. (C) 2000 Academic Press.