Chapter 13 - Approaches to Utilizing Aspects of Cognitive Function as Indicators of Neurotoxicity

Abstract

This chapter proposes research approaches that utilize complex brain functions, modeled by specific behaviors, as biomarkers of neurotoxicity. The focus in this chapter is on efforts to increase the use of laboratory animals, instead of humans, as sources of experimental data. The need to use animal models for predicting the effects of neuroactive agents on complex brain functions in humans is absolute and has led to the development of automated systems for administering identical behavioral tasks to both laboratory animals and humans. The maintenance of task continuity across species allows for the quantitative determination of interspecies similarities and differences in complex brain function and assists in the extrapolation of data from laboratory animals to humans. Efforts to develop behaviors for modeling additional complex brain functions in animals will increase the number of functional domains amenable to the risk assessment process. This chapter elaborates similarities between human and monkey performance of complex behavioral tasks. The chapter also describes in detail the test battery approach for interspecies comparisons.