Neurophysiological aspects of hippocampal neurotoxicity

Identification and analysis of chemical neurotoxicity in the central nervous system deals with synaptic transmission and plasticity. The hippocampus slice technique rendered a powerful tool for electrophysiological analysis of these events as modulated by neurotoxic chemicals. It does not only allow the detection of potentially harmful compounds, but also the elucidation of their mechanism of action. This might render it possible to analyze the risk of neurotoxic chemicals on the basis of quantitative data.