Abstract
Investigations in toxicologic neuropathology are complex undertakings because of the intricate spatial and temporal diversity in the anatomic, functional, and molecular organization of the central and peripheral nervous systems. This compilation of toxicologic neuropathology resources has been designed to consolidate a broad range of useful neurobiology, neuropathology, and neurotoxicology resources in a single reference. This collection will increase familiarity with the basic knowledge, skills, and tools required for the proficient practice of toxicologic neuropathology and should help to improve the analysis and interpretation of pathology data sets from neural tissues in toxicology studies.
Proficiency in the practice of toxicologic neuropathology in toxicity studies requires specific knowledge of the biology, pathology, and toxicology of the nervous system to succeed. Recognition of toxicant-induced findings in neural tissues is enhanced by wide-ranging theoretical and practical training in numerous subjects: neuroanatomy, neurochemistry (including molecular biology), neurology (both behavioral and clinical), neurophysiology, neuropathology, neuropharmacology, and neurotoxicology. Without fundamental understanding of all these topics, the ability to discover, characterize, and integrate neuropathology findings to form a clear judgment regarding the etiologies, mechanisms, and potential hazards posed by potential neurotoxicants will be considerably hindered.
This compilation of selected resources (Table 1) is designed to serve all professionals who have an interest in toxicologic neuropathology, no matter what their prior level of training and experience in the field. Professionals with existing expertise will likely find new references within this bibliography to boost their productivity. Practitioners still building their skills in this discipline will find that this collection provides a useful avenue for increasing their neuropathology acumen. Allied researchers (neurotoxicologists, regulatory scientists) will find many useful resources with which to better understand the nuances of toxicologic neuropathology data sets and the interpretations communicated by pathologists. In short, this list of essential references should benefit all professionals who are endeavoring to use neuropathology to protect the mental health of humans and animals.
Selected references for neuropathologists and neurotoxicologists.
Footnotes
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Drs. Thomas P. Brown, Kathleen Funk, and Bernard Jortner for providing comments during the preparation of this resource list.
