Application of Behavioral Pharmacology in Toxicology

Application of Behavioral Pharmacology in Toxicology

Book Reviews his birthday and 5 chapters with discussion on the papers presented at the meetmg. In the opening paper, Tamio Yamakawa presents his pers...

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Book Reviews his birthday and 5 chapters with discussion on the papers presented at the meetmg. In the opening paper, Tamio Yamakawa presents his personal views on the past, present and future of glycolipid research. He describes the discovery of hematoside, which is the major glycolipid of equine erythrocytes. The papers in the first section offer details of the lastest advanced techniques for the analysis of the chemical structure of glycolipids: thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, soft ionization mass spectroscopy, cell cultures, etc. Although glycolipids arc relatively minor components of cells and tissues and their function depend essentially on their carbohydrate moiety, they are unique in biochemistry and biophysics due to their properties. In the second section subjects are discussed such as: biosynthesis and characterization of globoside, the glycolipid glycosyltransferase activity under various experimental and pathological conditions, the role of glycoliptds in immunological reactions, etc. In the third section, there are papers dealing with the biosynthesis and metabolism of glycolipids in vtew of developments in cell biology, immunology and oncology. Among other subjects discussed are: substrate specificity of viral, bacterial and mammalian sialidases; protein activators for the catabolism of glycosfingolipids; degradation of glycolipids by water-soluble lysosomal glycosidases; proteins that transfer sphingolycolipids; clinical and biochemical studies of galactosialidosis and gangliosides and neural glycoshingohpids in human brain tumours. The papers m the following section discuss these subjects: possible function of brain gangliosides in survival in the cold; glycolipid composition in various tissues and cell cultures; studies on the cell association of exogenous glycolipids; reactivity of sphingoglycolipid haptens in glyceroglycolipid liposomes and distinctive characteristics of ganglioside-profiles in human leukemia-lymphoma cell lines. In the final section there are papers discussing the participation of glycolipids in various immunological reactions: myxovirus-induced membrane fusion mediated by phospholipids and neutral glycolipids; localization of Forssman antigen and asialo G,, m the small intestine; localization of sulphate by immunohistochemical techniques and antiglycolipid antibodies in human sera. This volume clearly indicates that glycolipid research has rapidly progressed in the last few years, mainly in the field of the isolation and characterization of a great number of glycolipids. studies on the biosynthesis and catabolism, biochemical elucidation of inherited sphingolipidoses. membrane phenomena and problems of cancer and immunochemical characterization of various antigens, In addition, this volume suggests new strategies for the detection and resolution of minor gangliosides. Therefore, it will be of interest to anybody who is interested in glycolipid research. S.

HYNIE

Application of Behavioral Pharmacology in Toxicology, Edited by GERHARD ZBINDEN, VINCENZO CUOMO, GIORGIO RACAGNI and BERNARD WEISS, Raven Press, New York, 1983. Toxicology is the science of the noxious effects of drugs used in therapy and of chemicals that may be responsible for household, commercial, or industrial intoxication. As stated in the preface to this volume, in recent years the scope of toxicology has been expanding rapidly and in many directions In additton to the generally acknowledged toxic effects such as lethality, cumulative organ toxicity, terato-

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genicity etc., toxicologists have begun to speculate about other potentially dangerous effects, such as disturbances of the immune response, acceleration of ageing and degenerative processes and others. This volume IS concerned with the neurobehavioural disorders produced by chemicals. which have been greatly neglected until recently. The book is a collection of the main lectures and some selected poster demonstrations that were presented at the “Workshop on Behavioural Toxicology” held in Italy in 1982. Thirty-five articles, by 99 scientists, are divided into 5 sections. Section 1 dealing with the experimental assessment of adverse behavioural effects contains 7 articles. In the first one, G. Zbinden presents the definition of adverse behavioural effects and proposes the neurobehavtoural toxicity profile which can serve toxicologists as a data base with which they can correlate their own observations. The remaining chapters m thts section describe various techniques of behavioral pharmacology which are used to explain the mode of action of neurotoxins and detect potentially hazardous substances. Among subjects discussed in this section are: the analysis of locomotion in rats, behavioural toxicology of learning and memory, long-term recording of the rest-activity cycle in man and behavioural teratology. Another 8 chapters are in the section entitled “Behavioural studies in the safety assessment of drugs and other chemicals”. Weiss analyses a collection of nonspecific symptoms which appear in the early phases of CNS intoxication, while Annau describes some of the strategies that have proved useful in detecting the neurotoxic effects of various chemicals. The other chapters of this section discuss several behaviour tests and new approaches used in behavioural toxicology. The following section is concerned with the place of neurochemistry in behavioural toxicology. Two chapters discuss biochemical and behavioural changes after prolonged postnatal exposure to antidepressants and neuroleptics. Lloyd et al. present evidence that GABA neurones are involved in the development of dyskinesia. Several chapters show that many commonly used drugs, like methylxanthines and benzodiazepines, could fall in the category of behavioural teratogens. Baraldi et al. focus their attention on alterations in the CNS at the receptor levels which accompany hepatic encephalopathy. The fourth section deals with the behavioural toxicology of early treatment with hormones. Boer and Swaab describe the long-term effects on brain and behaviour of early treatment with neuropeptides, primarily vasopressin and oxytocin. Another 2 chapters deal with the effects of glucocorticoid hormones on the behaviour of rats. The exact mechanism of these steroid hormones as well as of prolactin on behaviour in mammals is not yet understood. This section also contains 2 chapters describing the effects of estrogens and androgens on animal behaviour. The book closes with a section describing human studies. Almost any metal may cause central nervous system dysfunction, as indicated by neurological symptoms m relation to occupational exposures. Most chapters in this section discuss the effects of lead, mercury and manganese. There are also notes concerning the effects of various organic solvents on visual evoked potentials in human subjects. The last 2 chapters which deal with the behavioural toxicology of psychotropic drugs and drugs of abuse are of great importance. The extent and quality of chapters m this volume are not equal. It is also evident that the field discussed is in its infancy and therefore the mutual exchange of ideas between behavioural scientists and toxicologists is not as deep as it should be. It can be expected that many ideas presented in this volume will have to be validated and perhaps some will need to be changed or replaced. Nevertheless, this volume is a good example of new approaches in the solving of toxicological problems.

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Book Reviews

To summarize, this somewhat heterogenous collection of articles is a valuable addition to the library of establishments concerned with toxicology and behavioural toxicology.

and literarary data concerning adren~ortical secretion under non-stressed and stressed conditions are presented. The book contains 9 chapters, with several subchapters, nearly 1000 references with titles and extensive author and subject indexes. The text proper is only on 138 pages. S. HYNIE In the introductory chapter the author presents the indices of adrenocortical secretory activity and reviews his own data since 1959 on the resting adrenal Clinical and Experimental Neurology, Proceedings of the 17-OH-corticosteroids secretion rate in non-stressed conAustralian Association of Neurologists, Volume 19, Edited cious dogs. by JOHN H. TYRERand MERVYNJ. EADIE,ADIS Health Chapter 2 is devoted to adrenal cortical secretion in Science Press, Sydney, 1983. response to a variety of internal and external environmental stimuli: ether anesthesia, barbiturate anesthesia, morphine. This volume is based on the Annual Scientific Meeting of ethanol, immobilization, muscular exercise, hypoxia, hyperthe Australian Association of Neurologists held in 1982 in capnia, anaphylactic shock, histamine, haemorrhage, surSydney, Australia. It contains The Graeme Robertson gical stress, exposure to cold, heat, X-irradiation and the Memorial Lecture 1982 on “Multiple Sclerosis”, which was effects of ingestion of food. The effect of hormones, neuready by J. Sutherland, 26 articles on various topics of ropharmacological agents and bacterial products are declinical and experimental neurology by Australian neuscribed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 deals with the responses of adrenocortical cells rologists and 27 abstracts of less important lectures. As is usual with proceedings of symposia of this type, a uniform to ACTH. In~a~llular and membrane potential events are discussed and factors affecting the responsiveness of the coverage of individual topics is not achieved. In the first article J. Sutherland presents his views on some adrenal cortex to ACTH. The following chapter is condevelopments in the understanding of multiple sclerosis cerned with the circadian rhythm of adrenocortical secretory activity. which have occurred over the past 50 years. In this short review the author presents important data on the infective The remaining chapters review the CNS mechanisms involved in the regulation of pituitary-adrenocortical activnature of multiple sclerosis, geographical aspects, altered immune reactions and therapy of this disease. ity. Chapter 6 deals with hypothalamic stimulation, while The remaining articles, by practising neurologists, cover chapter 7 discusses the participation of extrahypothalamic various subjects of both clinical and experimental neubrain structures and spinaf cord m the control of pituita~-adren~orti~l activity. Chapter 8 is concerned rology. It is difficult to recognize any editorial attempt to with the neurotransmitter mechanisms involved in the neuorder the articles according to the subject discussed. The ral control of hypothalamic-pit~tary-ad~n~orti~l activreader can find purely experimental papers among clinical ity. Catecholaminergic, cholinergic, serotoninergic and gabpapers which also differ in coverage. Some of them are only anerbic mechanisms in the control of this activity are case reports while the others try to review the area discussed. From the experimental papers it is worthwhile mendiscussed. The concluding chapter deals with the feedback tioning demyelinating optic neuropathy in rats as a model regulation of pituitary-adrenocortical activity. for combined morphological and electrophysiological studThe subject of this book is rather narrow, following only ies and parenchymal lesions of the brain in spontaneously the interest of the author. He uses most of the references to hypertensive stroke-prone rats. either introduce or to document his own experimental data. There are several articles on encephalitis and meningitis* Most of the references are quite old and it is difficult to find namely measles encephalitis, encephalitis in infectious references after 1980. Otherwise the text is clear and remarkmononucleosis. amoebic meningitis etc. Several chapters ably free from errors. cover demyelinating processes, myotonic dystrophy and In summary, this monograph covers many important spastic disorders. In the subjects discussed are also senile aspects of the physiology of adrenocortical secretion. It is a dementia. epilepsy and myelopathy associated with decomrather expensive book which presents mostly the experipression sickness. Two papers are concerned with sodium mental findings of the author. It will be of interest to those valproate, its pharmacokinetics during long-term therapy who are working experimentally in the field of adrenoand its hepatotoxicity. The paper describing the emcortical secretion. bolisation of cerebra1 arteriovenous malformations, using Silastic spheres and plugs is interesting; this method was S. HYNIB used in 7 patients with inoperable arte~ovenous malformations which caused unsatisfactory controf of the symptoms. Clinical and Biological Aspects of PeripheraINerve Diseases, The abstracts also cover various topics in experimental Neurology and Neurobiology, Volume 4, Edited by LEONTINO and clinical neurology. Jt is questionable whether there is BATTISTIN, GEORGE A. HASHIMand ABELLAJTHA,Liss, New any sense in publishing short summaries, mostly case reYork, 1983. ports, in a book which appears with a delay after a scientific meeting. This book is based on a Symposium on “Clinical and The book is closed by a subject index and instructions to Biological Aspects of the Peripheral Nervous System Disauthors. On the whole, the book is of average quality and eases” heid in Padova, ItaIy in 1982. It discusses the clinical might be of Interest to practicing neurologists. It might be and ex~rimental problems of ~mmon interest to clinicians on the shelves of all appropriate libraries. and the basic neurochemists. In a special lecture L. Premuda and L. Bonuzzi commemS. HYNIE orate J. B. Morgagni at the end of the third century after his birth and stress his contribution to the pathology of the nervous system. They state that “Morgagni’s greatness is Physiology of Adrenocorticnl Secretion, Frontiers of Hor- revealed by the acceptance of a methodological programme mooe Research, volume 1I, by T. SUZUKI,Series edited by that could be defined as “critical empirism”, which is B. VAN WIMERSMA GREIDANUS,Karger, Basel, 1983. articulated in a sequence of moments that are still satisfactory: bibliography, clinical observations, anatomical experiments, critics and property of languages (to express with This monograph reviews the physiological aspects of adrenal cortisol and corticosterone secretion. Ex~rimentaI data clarity and precision the results of his research).”