ABSTRACT
The nervous system is an organ whose primary function is to process, store, and transmit information. As the central computing facility of the body, the nervous system is organized so as to handle the enormous volumes of information it receives from numerous sites within the body. The complex and hierarchical cytoarchitecture of the brain facilitates vital communication among cells, which ultimately determines the behavioral response of an organism. Although the final output of brain function is behavior, such an output is a culmination of a series of biochemical and molecular events, including the expression of genes and their translation into products. These molecular events are all potential targets for modulation by environmental agents. While the number of target genes and products studied following neurotoxicant exposure is numerous, it is important to focus attention on the effects of neurotoxic agents on signaling and transcriptional regulation. Understanding the relationship between toxicant exposure, signal transduction/transcription coupling, and perturbations in gene transcription provides an in-depth mechanistic examination of how neurotoxicants may result in long-term perturbations of the nervous system.
