Neurological system behavioral disorders

A large number of industrial chemicals are hindering children s development, lowering IQ scores, and triggering attention and behavior disorders. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) studies have revealed a large number of chemical substances that cause damage to the human nervous system. The Lancet identified 201 chemicals with the ability to cause neurological effects in humans. Many chemical substances with neurotoxic potential have not been... 

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is characterized by virtual absence of HPRT, excessive production of uric acid, and abnormalities of the central nervous system. These abnormalities include mental retardation, spasticity (increased muscle tension resulting in continuous increase of resistance to stretching), choreoathetosis (characterized by irregular, jerky, or explosive involuntary movements, and writhing or squirming, which may involve any extremity or the trunk), and a compulsive form of self-mutilation. The disorder associated with partial deficiency of HPRT also leads to hyperuricemia but lacks the devastating neurological and behavioral features characteristic of the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Both disorders are X-linked. 

Lead, emitted primarily from smelters and battery plants, enters the body in several different ways, including inhalation of lead in air, ingestion of lead in food, or consumption of lead in water. Lead can accumulate in the body over long periods of time and damage the kidneys, liver, and nervous system. Excessive exposure causes neurological damage, producing seizures, mental retardation, and other behavioral disorders. Fetuses, infants, and children are particularly sensitive. 

S.J. Watson, Behavioral neurochemistry neuroregulators and behavioral states. Science 2oo 96 (1978). 29 S.S. Oja and P. Kontro, Neurotransmitter actions of taurine in the central nervous system, in "Taurine and Neurological Disorders", A, Barbeau and R.J. Huxtable, eds.. Raven Press, New York (1978). 

---