Symposium Synthesis. Application of Neurobehavioral Methods in Environmental and Occupational Health

Based on more than 150 presentations at an international symposium, a critical review is undertaken to assess the current status of research using neurobehavioral methods in environmental and occupational health. Although empirical in nature, this research approach has provided forceful evidence of different manifestations of neurotoxicity and their etiologies. Neurotoxicity is a major adverse effect of chemical exposure and is particularly serious in developing countries. Further development of neurobehavioral methods is likely to benefit from developments in basic neurosciences, and powerful epidemiological designs will be needed to assess their validity when applied to environmental and occupational health. Having documented that neurobehavioral methods can be successfully developed and applied in this field, this research area is likely to show considerable advancement in the future.