behavioural teratology

behavioural teratology

A postulated form of teratogenesis in which drugs or toxins induce permanent behavioural damage—though it is difficult to verify behavioural changes, given the subtlety of teratogenic effects and the subjectivity of interpretation; functional neurotransmitters appear early in foetal development and may be vulnerable to teratogenic agents during periods of foetal or postnatal immaturity.