References & Sources

A lead on why lead hurts the brain

Lead competes with calcium to bind to certain molecules in nerve cells, which may explain why the metal damages the nervous system.

References:

Bouton, C.M.L.S., et al. 1999. Synaptotagmin is a molecular target for lead. Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. October. Miami Beach.

Sources:

Christopher M.L. Bouton
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Department of Neurology
Department of Neuroscience
Baltimore, MD 21205

From Science News, Vol. 156, No. 19, November 6, 1999, p. 303. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.