Overview of Behavioral Teratology

Abstract

The discipline of behavioral teratology is based on the study of behavior as a powerful tool to identify and disentangle noxious effects of compounds known or suspected to be potentially neurotoxic early during development. Indeed, because behavior is the ultimate output of the brain, behavioral assessments can provide critical information on the noxious actions exerted by selected chemicals-information which is different from, and complementary to, the information provided by neurochemical, cellular, and histological evaluations. In particular, behavioral assessments allow one to investigate the integrity of a number of brain processes, helping to identify selected structural and/or functional alterations. A large number of behavioral protocols are available which are rapid, simple, quantitative, easily replicable, and reliable as indices of brain dysfunction. This unit provides an overview of the field of behavioral teratology.