Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026

08:09
Gene-environment Interaction Models to Unmask Susceptibility Mechanisms in Parkinson's Disease
Published on: January 7, 2014
[Progress in mechanisms underlying melamine toxicity in central nervous system]
Jia-Jia Yang1, Lei An, Zhuo Yang
1College of Life Science, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
Sheng Li Xue Bao : [Acta Physiologica Sinica]
|April 20, 2012
Summary
Melamine exposure poses risks to infant brain development by crossing the placental and blood-brain barriers. Further research is needed to fully understand melamine
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
Context:
- Melamine toxicity studies typically focus on the urinary system.
- Emerging evidence suggests broader biological actions of melamine.
- The mechanisms underlying melamine toxicity are not fully understood.
Purpose:
- To review recent literature on melamine's neurotoxicity in infants.
- To elucidate the risks of melamine exposure during critical developmental periods.
- To provide data for further investigation into melamine's effects on the central nervous system.
Summary:
- Melamine can cross the placental and blood-brain barriers.
- Infancy is a crucial period for brain development.
- Melamine exerts toxic effects on the central nervous system during development.
Impact:
- Highlights the potential dangers of melamine to infants.
- Underscores the need for comprehensive understanding of melamine's toxicity.
- Informs future research directions in developmental neurotoxicology.
Related Concept Videos
Hepatic Encephalopathy
DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...
Toxic Reactions: Overview
When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions
Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...

