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Uranium and the Central Nervous System: What Should We Learn from Recent New Tools and Findings?

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Neurotoxicity of Metals

Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 18))

Abstract

Increasing industrial and military use of uranium has led to environmental pollution, which may result in uranium reaching the brain and causing cerebral dysfunction. A recent literature review has discussed data published over the last 10 years on uranium and its effects on brain function (Dinocourt C, Legrand M, Dublineau I, et al., Toxicology 337:58–71, 2015). New models of uranium exposure during neonatal brain development and the emergence of new technologies (omics and epigenetics) are of value in identifying new specific targets of uranium. Here we review the latest studies of neurogenesis, epigenetics, and metabolic dysfunctions and the identification of new biomarkers used to establish potential pathophysiological states of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Christelle Adam-Guillermin and Maamar Souidi for their critical reading, specifically on epigenetic and metabolic pathways, of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), Direction de la Stratégie du Développement et des Partenariats, Service Programmes et Stratégies scientifiques, BP 17, F-92262, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France

    Céline Dinocourt

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  1. Céline Dinocourt
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Correspondence to Céline Dinocourt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA

    Michael Aschner

  2. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Lucio G. Costa

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Dinocourt, C. (2017). Uranium and the Central Nervous System: What Should We Learn from Recent New Tools and Findings?. In: Aschner, M., Costa, L. (eds) Neurotoxicity of Metals. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 18. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60189-2_11

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