The IPCS Collaborative Study on Neurobehavioral Screening Methods: II. Protocol design and testing procedures

• Published in: Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South) Vol. 18; no. 4; p. 929
• Main Authors: Moser, V C, Tilson, H A, MacPhail, R C, Becking, G C, Cuomo, V, Frantík, E, Kulig, B M, Winneke, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 1997
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiopathology; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical - methods; Guidelines as Topic; Male; Rats; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; Toxicity Tests - methods; Xenobiotics - toxicity
• ISSN: 0161-813X

This paper describes the development of the protocol for the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS)-sponsored Collaborative Study on Neurobehavioral Screening Methods, including background on the methods and chemicals selected, as well as details concerning the conduct of the collaborative study, including proficiency testing, range-finding and main study. Participating laboratories in the collaborative study received training in the conduct and scoring of the behavioral tests and each laboratory received a video training film to train additional personnel as needed. Each of the eight laboratories that chose to participate in the study completed proficiency testing and assessed seven representative chemicals using a functional observational battery and automated motor activity assessment. The seven chemicals studied were acrylamide, bis-acrylamide, p,p'-DDT, lead acetate, parathion, toluene, and triethyl tin. Participants received coded samples of the chemicals from a common source. Each laboratory derived doses for single and repeated administration based on the determination of a within-laboratory acute "top dose." Animal strains were not standardized and laboratory conditions were standardized to a limited degree in order to judge the general utility and robustness of these procedures in a diversity of testing situations.