A comprehensive review of the
neurobehavioral toxicology was presented in China in this paper.The systematic application
of the
neurobehavioral tests for the protection of workers from the damage of
environmental hazards began in early 1980s.Later in 1986,WHO Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery(NCTB) was introduced in China and translated into Chinese Version.The effects of the main confounding factors such as age,sex and education level of subjects on the results tested with NCTB were conducted.The reference values of NCTB were established in 554 healthy subjects not exposed to the environmental hazards based on grouping age\,sex and education level of subjects.Furthermore,the factor analysis and cluster analysis used in NCTB were developed.Meanwhile,the computer\|administered Chinese Version of the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System(NES\|C\-1)was first made for testing workers exposed to the environmental hazards in 1988.On the bases of NES\|C\-1,the upgraded NES\|C\-2 and NES\|C\-3 with better quality were developed in 1992 and 1998,respectively.The findings tested subjects using NCTB and NES\|C in the field survey showed that both NCTB and NES\|C were valid,reliable,sensitive and were a very useful tool for the early detection of the adverse effects of the environmental hazards on central nervous system.The possible biological mechanisms of neurobehavioral alteration caused by environmental hazards,for example,lead,manganese,aluminum and alcohol were also introduced in this paper.