Behavioral motor evaluation for neurotoxicity screening.

Behavioral motor testing is an important aspect of neurotoxicity screening. Previous test batteries have focused on simple measures of motor performance such as tapping rate, movement times and reaction times. These measures, although valuable in certain instances, do not provide a comprehensive description of motor disorders. An alternate approach to evaluate behavioral motor deficits is to use simple behaviors as an initial guide for the study of coordinated movements in more natural and thus more complex situations. The advantages of such an approach may be insights into the central neural correlates of motor disorders caused by toxic agents.