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Strategies for Developing Animal Models of Neurotoxicant-Induced Neurodegenerative Disorders

Parallel Studies of Learning and Memory in Animals and Humans

  • Chapter
Toxin-Induced Models of Neurological Disorders

Abstract

Exposure to neurotoxic substances may play an important role in the etiology of memory impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Because of this, significant effort has been devoted to developing animal models of these neurotoxin-induced disorders. In this chapter we will begin by critically reviewing some of the issues surrounding the development of animal models of neurologic conditions that may produce memory impairment. We will then argue that one important aspect of any strategy for developing neurotoxin-induced models of neurodegenerative disorders is to reduce the uncertainty involved in generalizing from animal models to human conditions. Next we will review some of our own work that has attempted to accomplish this by using a model systems approach to the study of learning and memory. The primary advantage of this approach to neurotoxicology is that it allows for the study of identically learned behaviors in animals and humans within a learning and memory paradigm whose neurobiological basis is well understood. As such, when neurotoxin-induced memory deficits are found in animal models it is possible to: (1) form testable hypotheses regarding the neurobiological basis of these deficits and (2) have a reasonable degree of certainty that similar memory deficits would occur if human exposure produced similar neurodegenerative effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 01267, USA

    Paul R. Solomon & Maryellen Groccia-Ellison

  2. Health Effects Research Laboratory, Division of Neurotoxicology (MD-74B), United States Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27711, USA

    Mark E. Stanton

  3. Department of Pathology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA

    William W. Pendlebury

Authors
  1. Paul R. Solomon
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  2. Maryellen Groccia-Ellison
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  3. Mark E. Stanton
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  4. William W. Pendlebury
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. East Tennesee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA

    Michael L. Woodruff

  2. Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky, USA

    Arthur J. Nonneman

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Solomon, P.R., Groccia-Ellison, M., Stanton, M.E., Pendlebury, W.W. (1994). Strategies for Developing Animal Models of Neurotoxicant-Induced Neurodegenerative Disorders. In: Woodruff, M.L., Nonneman, A.J. (eds) Toxin-Induced Models of Neurological Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1447-7_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1447-7_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1449-1

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