Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, CB 3270, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 Jan;7(1):229-68. doi: 10.3390/ijerph7010229. Epub 2010 Jan 19.
With research suggesting increasing incidence of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, questions regarding etiology continue to be raised. Neurodevelopmental function tests have been used in epidemiology studies to evaluate relationships between environmental chemical exposures and neurodevelopmental deficits. Limitations of currently used tests and difficulties with their interpretation have been described, but a comprehensive critical examination of tests commonly used in studies of environmental chemicals and pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders has not been conducted. We provide here a listing and critical evaluation of commonly used neurodevelopmental tests in studies exploring effects from chemical exposures and recommend measures that are not often used, but should be considered. We also discuss important considerations in selecting appropriate tests and provide a case study by reviewing the literature on polychlorinated biphenyls.
随着研究表明儿童神经发育障碍的发病率不断上升，关于病因的问题仍在不断提出。神经发育功能测试已被用于流行病学研究，以评估环境化学暴露与神经发育缺陷之间的关系。目前使用的测试存在局限性，其解释也存在困难，但尚未对常用于环境化学物质和儿童神经发育障碍研究的测试进行全面的批判性检查。我们在此提供了一份清单，并对探索化学暴露影响的研究中常用的神经发育测试进行了批判性评估，同时还推荐了一些不常用但应考虑的措施。我们还讨论了选择适当测试的重要注意事项，并通过回顾有关多氯联苯的文献，提供了一个案例研究。
