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| Appropriate End Points for the Characterization of Behavioral Changes in Developmental Toxicology Environ Health Perspect 1Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bari, Bari, Italy; 2Behavioral Pathophysiology Section, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy Abstract
The present paper is devoted to second- and higher-tier test methods for the characterization of behavioral changes produced in rodents by exposure to noxious agents during development. The paper analyzes a series of end points that are informative about specific processes and underlying regulatory mechanisms but require greater technical sophistication and larger investments than first-tier end points. This applies to ultrasonic emissions in successive postnatal periods ; to mother-pup interactions, including appropriate cross-fostering controls ; to social (including sexual) interaction tests from the infantile to the young adult stage ; and to a variety of conditioning and learning tests using both positive and negative reinforcement. -- Environ Health Perspect 104(Suppl 2) :307-315 (1996) Key words: developmental toxicology, behavior, test methods, rodents
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