ABSTRACT
The development of an organism from the time of conception through death is a complex and intriguing process. There are numerous times during development, especially prenatally, in which the organism is vulnerable to insult. Neurobehavioral teratology is the study of the effects of prenatal exposure to agents, e.g., environmental, physical, and chemical, on the development of the central nervous system (CNS) and includes the evaluation of postnatal behavior and functioning. There are four characteristics of the developing CNS that contribute to its susceptibility to injury including: (1) its structural complexity, (2) the extended time over which development occurs, (3) the slow maturation of the blood-brain barrier, and 4) delayed development of metabolic mechanisms to detoxify various agents103• There are several other closely related and slightly overlapping terms which also describe this type of research and have similar meaning including developmental neurotoxicology, behavioral teratology, and neuroteratology. These terms may be used interchangeably throughout this chapter.
