Main description:

Well-respected leaders in the field of in vitro neurotoxicology take a fresh look at their own and other's work, critically and comparatively analyzing it across experimental systems and toxicants, and synthesizing essential principles for in vitro neurotoxicity testing. Neurotoxicants of significance to human health are emphasized, especially those for which metabolism and dose-responses are well well studied both in vivo and in vitro: lead, mercury, organophosphorous insecticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxin, ethanol, and endogenous proteins. The goal is to set out new concepts and research directions that will hasten significant improvement in the methods and systems for in vitro neurotoxicity testing.

Contents:

In Vitro Neurotoxicology: Introduction to Concepts
Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni

Predictive Value of In Vitro Systems for Neurotoxicity Risk Assessment
Marion Ehrich and David C. Dorman

Exposure-Dose-Response Paradigm as It Relates to Toxicogenomics
William H. Hanneman, Melvin E. Andersen, Marie E. Legare, Christine T. French, Tami S. McMullin, Carolyn Broccardo, and Ruth E. Billings

In Vitro Studies of Neurotoxicant Effects on Cellular Homeostasis
Gerald J. Audesirk and Ronald B. Tjalkens

Role of Apoptosis in Neurotoxicology
Lori D. White, Sid Hunter, Michael W. Miller, Marion Ehrich, and Stanley Barone, Jr.

Impairment of Neurotransmitter Metabolism and Function by Neurotoxicants: Enzyme Pathways in Neurons and Astroglia
Michael Aschner and Ursula Sonnewald

Cell-Type-Specific Responses of the Nervous System to Lead
Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni and Yongchang Qian

Effects of Toxicants on Neural Differentiation
Stanley Barone, Jr., Prasada R. S. Kodavanti, and William R. Mundy

Impairment of Synaptic Function by Exposure to Lead
Stephen M. Lasley and Mary E. Gilbert

Aggregating Brain Cell Cultures for Neurotoxicological Studies
Marie-Gabrielle Zurich, Florianne Monnet-Tschudi, Lucio G. Costa, Benoit Schilter, and Paul Honegger

Use of Complimentary In Vitro and In Vivo Methods for Assessing Neuroendocrine Disruptors
W. Les Dees, Jill K. Hiney, Robert K. Dearth, and Vinod K. Srivastava

Establishing In Vitro Models to Study Endogenous Neurotoxicants
Heather D. Durham

Appendix: Annotated Reading List
Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni, Lucio G. Costa, Marion Ehrich, William R. Mundy, Gerald J. Audesirk, Michael Aschner, Prasada R. S. Kodavanti, and Stephen M. Lasley

Index