Performance Impacts of Nerve Agents and Their Pharmacological Countermeasures

Abstract

Nerve agents are some of the most toxic compounds known to man and, as suggested by their name, have pronounced effects on central and peripheral nervous system function. In addition, several of the drugs used as pharmacological countermeasures to reverse the potentially life-threatening physiological effects of nerve agents themselves have potent effects on a variety of neurobehavioral functions. This article reviews the toxicological and neurobehavioral effects of exposure to nerve agents and their medical treatment compounds, giving particular emphasis to their impacts on performance and behavior, both immediate and long-term. As such, this review touches on a number of major related topics, primarily pharmacological and toxico-logical. Where possible, more in-depth discussions of these topics have been cited for the interested reader. The toxicology and pharmacology of the nerve agents and the respective medical treatment drugs are addressed separately, representing distinctly different pharmacological classes of compounds and producing distinctly different effects on the central nervous system and performance. Both animal and human data have been evaluated for this review. Although animal data provide a valuable adjunct to the human reports, the majority of studies cited here describe the effects of these compounds in humans. Where it was thought necessary for clarification or elaboration, animal studies have been cited, but these represent only a small subset of this vast literature.