Lead Neurotoxicity in Experimental Models: A Systematic Review on Effects on the Cerebrum, Cerebellum, and Hippocampus

The extensive use of heavy metals, such as lead, has resulted in environmental damage and numerous health problems in many parts of the world. Reports indicate that lead is the most significant toxic heavy metal with adverse impacts on several body systems. Primarily, lead targets the nervous system and causes a variety of neurological, motor, and behavioral deficits in humans and laboratory animals. Although several reports demonstrate the toxicity of lead, there is a paucity of comprehensive and updated reviews to highlight various histopathological findings on the effects of lead and its mechanisms of action on different brain structures; accordingly, this review was designed to address this gap. To achieve this, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) system was utilized, and prominent scientific databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate, Science Direct, Pubmed, and Google Scholar were searched to obtain information on the effects of lead and its mechanisms of action on different brain regions. Initially, 133 articles were obtained, but 60 articles satisfied the inclusion criteria and were selected for this review. These findings provide an updated compilation of lead toxicity and its mechanisms of action on different brain structures in experimental models. In addition, this review helps to advance the comprehension of lead poisoning and its harmful effects on the brain and may aid in the search for the development of novel therapeutic agents capable of mitigating lead toxicity and its associated neurological disorders.