Behavioral approaches to toluene intoxication

Environ Res. 1993 Jul;62(1):53-62.


Behavioral approaches to toluene intoxication.

Saito K, Wada H.
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Hokkaido University, School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.

Abstract

Toluene is a chemical that is very useful in our lives but harmful to our health. Behavioral toxicology has the merit of providing an accurate indication of functional toxicity to the CNS through the analysis of learned behavior and use of behavioral analysis techniques that give us various learning paradigms for investigating the effects of chemicals on memory, stimulus discrimination, attention, time perception, etc. Learning is a common ability among various species and it is possible to predict toxicity to human health from animals. Behavioral toxicology is assumed to play an important role in occupational and environmental health. Using typical test batteries such as shuttle, Sidman, and pole-climb avoidance, and FI, FR, DRL, and DMS tasks, the effects of toluene were investigated and the results were reviewed. One important objective of a test battery is to be able to detect already-known toxicity. Behavioral toxicology research indicated such effects of toluene toxicity as hyperactivity, ataxia, addiction, insomnia, and memory disturbances. Some excellent results which might indicate clinically unknown effects of toluene such as hearing loss, impairments of time discrimination, and improvements of STM were also demonstrated. Introduction of blood and brain toluene levels as an index of toluene exposure and more sophisticated learning tasks which reflect specific higher nervous functions of the CNS has been proposed.



PMID: 8325266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE THOUGHT TO BE BIPOLAR DISORDER

CASE REPORT: 33 year old female experienced acute, full-blown manic episode, diagnosed as manic-depression with psychotic features. Subsequent treatment included various psychiatric medications from which she suffered numerous severe side effects including involuntary movements and a weight gain of 80lbs. Despite pharmaceutical management, she continued to have manic episodes and required recurrent psychiatric hospitalization.

Two years after the initial onset of mania the patient was seen by a physician trained in environmental health sciences and had various investigations confirming she had bioaccumulated high levels of lead. Patient had been employed for 15 years in an industry that uses chemical processes and was diagnosed with Substance Induced Neuropsychiatric and Cognitive Disorders (292.11, 292.12, 294.9). Substances included Toluent, Heavy Metals (lead, silver, mercury), Sulfuric Acid, Xylene, Propyl Alcohol, n-Hexane, and other organic solvents.

Patient sought treatment from complimentary medicine for detoxification. Chemical detoxification of lead was undertaken with a heavy metal chelator and values of lead progressively diminished. Chelation treatments were initially covered by the patients primary insurance company. Concomitant with the decline in accumulated lead, all of her psychiatric symptoms gradually subsided and all medication was discontinued.

Patient received supportive depositions in worker’s compensation proceeding of the diagnosis toxic encephalopathy and was awarded a worker’s compensation settlement in New York State.

Patient was unable to continue maintenance chelation treatments and over the course of 10 years has experienced two incidents exacerbating symptoms of mania. A detoxing protocol quickly relieved symptoms of the first incident. The second incident was a result of a bacterial infection from an abscessed tooth, patient reported both visual and auditory hallucinations, that of schizophrenic nature. Treatment with the anti-biotic Flagyl, and a root canal quickly abated all symptoms.

This case represents the importance of taking an effective work history and recognizing visual hallucinations as part of organic brain disease.

TOXIC CAUSES OF MENTAL ILLENSS ARE OVERLOOKED

Neurotoxicology. 2008 Nov;29(6):1147-9. Epub 2008 Jun 24.

Toxic causes of mental illness are overlooked.
sgenuis@ualberta.ca
Genuis SJ.

While proper brain function requires the complex interaction of chemicals perpetually occupied in purposeful biochemistry, it is well established that certain toxic substances have the potential to disrupt normal brain physiology and to impair neurological homeostasis. As well as headache, cognitive dysfunction, memory disturbance, and other neurological signs and symptoms, disruption of brain function may also manifest as subtle or overt alteration in thoughts, moods, or behaviors. Over the last four decades, there has been the unprecedented development and release of a swelling repertoire of potentially toxic chemicals which have the capability to inflict brain compromise. Although the ability of xenobiotics to induce clinical illness is well established, the expanding public health problem of widespread toxicant exposure in the general population is a relatively new phenomenon that has spawned escalating concern. The emerging area of clinical care involving the assessment and management of accrued toxic substances such as heavy metals, pesticides, plasticizers and other endocrine disrupting or neurotoxic compounds has not been fully appreciated by the medical community and has yet to be incorporated into the clinical practice of many consultants or primary care practitioners.
PMID: 18621076 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

PAST EXPOSURE TO LEAD LINKED TO SYMPTOMS OF BIPOLAR DISORDER

Lead Levels in the Hair of Bipolar Patients and Normal Controls

Med Hypotheses. 1986 Jun;20(2):151-5.

Lead levels in the hair of bipolar patients and normal controls.
Kanofsky JD, Rosen WA, Ryan PB, Decina P, Fieve RR, Kanofsky PB.

The analysis of hair samples taken from ten symptomatic bipolar patients and from ten normal controls matched for age, sex and race suggest that a relatively high body burden of lead may be associated with episodes of bipolar illness.

PMID: 3637615 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]