This laboratory focuses on understanding the contribution of environmental chemical exposures to human diseases and disorders of the nervous system in order to evaluate human health risks and to determine effective strategies for treatment.

Ongoing studies focus on three areas. One involves determination of the neurochemical mechanisms in rodent models by which chronic low level lead (Pb) exposures disrupt complex cognitive/executive functions, including learning and attention. This will allow development of behavioral and/or pharmacological therapeutic strategies for such deficits.

Our studies of behavioral deficits in lead-exposed children facilitate direct translation of findings from experimental models. Related studies are now examining the combined impacts of low level lead exposures and stress in both rat and mouse models, since these are co-occurring risk factors that both target the mesolimbic dopamine system of the brain, and our previous studies show that Pb exposure permanently alters HPA axis function.

Another line of research in this laboratory continues to explore the contribution of pesticide exposures to the etiology of the ParkinsonŐs disease phenotype, particularly when such exposures occur in combination with other risk factors, including developmental period of exposure, aging, genetic background and gender. Future studies aim to examine both the role of pesticides in addition to the paraquat + maneb model as etiological factors and to begin to determine mechanisms and markers that are common across models of the PD phenotype.

Recent Publications

Barlow BK, Cory-Slechta DA, Richfield EK, Thiruchelvam M. The gestational environment and Parkinson's disease: evidence for neurodevelopmental origins of a neurodegenerative disorder. Reprod Toxicol. 2007 Apr-May;23(3):457-470.

Froehlich TE, Lanphear BP, Dietrich KN, Cory-Slechta DA, Wang N, and Kahn RS. Interactive effects of a DRD4 polymorphism, lead, and sex on executive functions in children. Biol Psychiatry. 2007 Aug 1;62(3):243-249.

Gray JP, Heck DE, Mishin V, Smith PJ, Hong JY, Thiruchelvam M, Cory-Slechta DA, Laskin DL, and Laskin JD. Paraquat increases cyanide-insensitive respiration in murine lung epithelial cells by activating an NAD(P)H:paraquat oxidoreductase: identification of the enzyme as thioredoxin reductase. J Biol Chem. 2007 Mar 16;282(11):7939-7949.

Vahter M, Gochfeld M, Casati B, Thiruchelvam M, Falk-Filippson A, Kavlock R, Marafante E, and Cory-Slechta D. Implications of gender differences for human health risk assessment and toxicology. Environ Res. 2007 May;104(1):70-84.

Davidson PW, Weiss B, Beck C, Cory-Slechta DA, Orlando M, Loiselle D, Young EC, Sloane-Reeves J, and Myers GJ. Development and validation of a test battery to assess subtle neurodevelopmental differences in children. Neurotoxicology. 2006 Dec;27(6):951-969.

Cory-Slechta DA, Thiruchelvam M, Barlow BK, and Richfield EK. Developmental pesticide models of the Parkinson disease phenotype. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Sep;113(9):1263-1270.

Virgolini MB, Bauter MR, Weston DD, and Cory-Slechta DA. Permanent alterations in stress responsivity in female offspring subjected to combined maternal lead exposure and/or stress. Neurotoxicology. 2006 Jan;27(1):11-21.

Cory-Slechta DA. Studying toxicants as single chemicals: does this strategy adequately identify neurotoxic risk? Neurotoxicology. 2005 Aug;26(4):491-510.

Virgolini MB, Chen K, Weston DD, Bauter MR, and Cory-Slechta DA. Interactions of chronic lead exposure and intermittent stress: consequences for brain catecholamine systems and associated behaviors and HPA axis function. Toxicol Sci. 2005 Oct;87(2):469-482.

Carmouche JJ, Puzas JE, Zhang X, Tiyapatanaputi P, Cory-Slechta DA, Gelein R, Zuscik M, Rosier RN, Boyce BF, O’Keefe RJ, and Schwarz EM. Lead exposure inhibits fracture healing and is associated with increased chondrogenesis, delay in cartilage mineralization, and a decrease in osteoprogenitor frequency. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jun;113(6):749-755.

Rodriguez VM, Thiruchelvam M, and Cory-Slechta DA. Sustained exposure to the widely used herbicide atrazine: altered function and loss of neurons in brain monoamine systems. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jun;113(6):708-715.

Mhyre TR, Chesler EJ, Thiruchelvam M, Lungu C, Cory-Slechta DA, Fry JD, and Richfield EK. Heritability, correlations and in silico mapping of locomotor behavior and neurochemistry in inbred strains of mice. Genes Brain Behav. 2005 Jun;4(4):209-228.

Thiruchelvam M, Prokopenko O, Cory-Slechta DA, Richfield EK, Buckley B, and Mirochnitchenko O. Overexpression of superoxide dismutase or glutathione peroxidase protects against the paraquat + maneb-induced Parkinson disease phenotype. J Biol Chem. 2005 Jun 10;280(23):22530-22539.

Cory-Slechta DA, Thiruchelvam M, Richfield EK, Barlow BK, and Brooks AI Developmental pesticide exposures and the Parkinson's disease phenotype. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol. 2005 Mar;73(3):136-9.