Handbook of Behavioral Teratology [antikvár]

PrefaceThis book was developed in response to a need in behavioral teratology for a comprehensive set of reviews of the field's many topics brought together in a single source. This volume represents the first effort to synthesize and integrate research in the field since 1969 when Justin Joffe wrote Prenatal Determinants of Behaviour. Joffe's book became a standard reference for many years, particularly for the experimental design of animal investigations. It has become increasingly evident, however, that some aspects of design once considered inviolate have changed and become part of a more flexible approach. In current research the emphasis is on a set of prioritized, but focused, experimental questions rather than on designs which factor all possible variables into every experiment. Also, new design considerations have arisen over the last 15 years, not appreciated when Joffe wrote. Moreover, the sheer volume of new experimental evidence generated since 1969 has increased the content of the field several fold. These considerations made a new review and critical appraisal of the field compelling.The book is divided into four major sections. Part I contains four chapters. These chapters provide discussions of the general principles of behavioral teratogenesis, and information on the historical, governmental, and methodological contexts in which the field operates. The purpose of these chapters is to provide the framework within which the review chapters in the remainder of the book may best be understood.Part II includes eight chapters covering drugs as behavioral teratogens. This is the largest section of the book and reflects the emphasis found in the behavioral teratology literature on drugs as prototypical test agents. Part II begins with a review of the drug which has evolved into the central player in the field, alcohol. The chapter by Meyer and Riley reviews this area with emphasis on animal models of fetal alcohol's behavioral effects. The next chapter by Hutchings and Fifer discusses methadone as a representative of the opiate drugs and reviews the interrelationships between the evidence obtained in experiments with laboratory animals and in those with humans. This is followed by a review of the animal data on stimulants (amphetamine and caffeine) by Buelke-Sam, an area of great interest, but relatively little experimental agreement. Spear and Scalzo then review effects found with the neuroleptic drugs. This review focuses on newer studies in which these drugs are given postnatally and describes the effects they produce on later behavior. This chapter also points out the power of the combined use of behavioral, pharmacological, and neurochemical approaches to understanding early damage to the nervous system. This chapter is followed by Rodier's review of antimitodc drugs and illustrates the value of joint behavioral and neurohistological approaches. Antimitoticvit