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Sex-Specific Neurotoxic Effects of Organophosphate Pesticides Across the Life Course

  • Synthetic Chemicals and Health (J Herbstman and T James-Todd, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review discusses the sex-specific effects of exposure to various organophosphate (OP) pesticides throughout the life course and potential reasons for the differential vulnerabilities observed across sexes.

Recent Findings

Sex is a crucial factor in the response to toxicants, yet the sex-specific effects of OP exposure, particularly in juveniles and adults, remain unresolved. This is largely due to study design and inconsistencies in exposure and outcome assessments.

Summary

Exposure to OPs results in multiple adverse outcomes influenced by many factors including sex. Reported sex-specific effects suggest that males are more susceptible to OPs, which reflects the sex-dependent prevalence of various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as autism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which males are at greater risk. Thus, this review proposes that the biological sex-specific effects elicited by OP exposure may in part underlie the dimorphic susceptibilities observed in neurological disorders. Understanding the immediate and long-term effects of OP exposure across sexes will be critical in advancing our understanding of OP-induced neurotoxicity and disease.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIEHS (ES009089) and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. D.B.R. is the recipient of a Career Development award and two pilot grants from the NIEHS Center of Northern Manhattan and of the Calderone Prize for Junior Faculty in the Mailman School of Public Health. N.C. is the recipient of the NIEHS Training Grant (T32ES007322) at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

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  1. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Nicole Comfort & Diane B. Re

  2. NIEHS Center for Environmental Health Sciences in Northern Manhattan, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Nicole Comfort & Diane B. Re

  3. Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Diane B. Re

  4. 722 W 168th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Nicole Comfort

  5. 722 W 168th Street Suite 1107B, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Diane B. Re

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Synthetic Chemicals and Health

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Comfort, N., Re, D.B. Sex-Specific Neurotoxic Effects of Organophosphate Pesticides Across the Life Course. Curr Envir Health Rpt 4, 392–404 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-017-0171-y

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