Toxicologic Pathology of the Nervous System
Summary
Toxicologic pathology of the nervous system examines the structural and functional alterations induced by chemical, environmental or pharmaceutical agents on central and peripheral neural tissues. It encompasses microscopic and ultrastructural analyses of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and neuromuscular junctions, with the aim of identifying lesions such as neuronal death, axonal degeneration, demyelination, gliosis and synaptic disruption. Integration of conventional histology with immunohistochemical markers for neuronal subtypes, myelin proteins and glial activation has enhanced sensitivity for early or subtle changes. Quantitative morphometry and stereology further permit rigorous assessment of volumetric loss or cellular proliferation. This discipline underpins safety evaluation of new compounds, informs mechanistic understanding of neurotoxic syndromes and guides regulatory decision-making. Globally, it supports risk assessment for occupational exposures, agrochemicals and novel therapeutics, and fosters the development of protective strategies against neurodegenerative sequelae of toxic insult.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Toxicologic Pathology of the Nervous System publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in toxicologic pathology of the nervous system across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Neurotoxicity: Adverse effects on the structure or function of the nervous system caused by exposure to chemical or physical agents.
Axonal degeneration: Progressive breakdown of axons following injury or toxic insult, often accompanied by myelin fragmentation.
Demyelination: Loss or disruption of the myelin sheath surrounding axons, leading to impaired nerve conduction.
Gliosis: Reactive proliferation and hypertrophy of glial cells in response to injury, forming a glial scar.
Stereology: Quantitative method for estimating three-dimensional structural parameters from two-dimensional tissue sections.
References
- Safety, tolerability and toxicokinetics of the novel mitochondrial drug SUL-138 administered orally to rat and minipig. Toxicology Reports (2024).
- Methods to identify and characterize developmental neurotoxicity for human health risk assessment. II: neuropathology.. Environmental Health Perspectives (2001).
- Experimental chronic entrapment of the sciatic nerve in adult hamsters: an ultrastructural and morphometric study. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research (2003).
About these summaries
This Nature Research Intelligence Topic summary is created with the cited references and a large language model. We take care to ground generated text with facts, and have systems in place to gain human feedback on the overall quality of the process in line with our AI principles. We strive to create accurate and useful summaries for people unfamiliar with the research topic and that supports this goal. These pages are a beta release and will be updated as we learn how best to help people gain value from a research topic summary.
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.