Toxic Effects of Glyphosate on the Nervous System: A Systematic Review.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Systematic review synthesizing predominantly preclinical, animal, and mechanistic toxicology studies
PubMed 35562999 · doi:10.3390/ijms23094605
What was done
The authors conducted a systematic review evaluating published evidence on the neurotoxic effects of the herbicide glyphosate and its commercial formulations across humans, rodents, fish, and invertebrates. Specific databases, search dates, screening criteria, and study counts were not specified in the abstract.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or study counts. Descriptively, exposure—especially in early development—was reported to alter signaling pathways regulating differentiation, neuronal growth, and myelination. Glyphosate exposure was associated with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, neurotransmission disruption, neuronal cell death (autophagy, necrosis, and apoptosis), and behavioral/motor disorders. The reported active doses varied widely but were noted to fall below regulatory safety limits, despite discrepancies across individual studies.
Why it matters
This review compiles multi-species evidence showing that glyphosate exposure can induce structural and functional nervous system impairment at concentrations below current regulatory thresholds.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative estimates, meta-analytic pooling, or study numbers. Findings combine disparate taxa (invertebrates, fish, rodents, humans) and formulation types with substantial reported discrepancies between studies, limiting direct extrapolation of specific risk estimates to humans.
Cited by
- supports Glyphosate functions as a mitochondrial toxin.