Neurological Effects of Marine Toxins

Human ingestion of marine toxins can produce various neurological effects, often involving the voltage-gated Na+ channels that are critical for action potential generation and propagation. Diagnosis for most marine neurotoxin is made clinically, and thus recognizing the signs and symptoms of each toxin, and obtaining the appropriate history, is essential. Major marine neurotoxins-tetrodotoxin, saxitoxin, ciguatoxin, brevetoxin, and domoic acid, have a distinct mechanism and clinical manifestation.