Neurotoxicity of Aluminum

Abstract

Aluminum is the most abundant metal and the third most common element. Soluble aluminum salts can be absorbed from the stomach and the metal is deposited in the gray matter in the brain. Following exposure to aluminum, aggregates of neurofilaments accumulate in neurons. Aluminum influences a number of neuronal processes, such as increasing protein synthesis and neurotransmitter breakdown, to decreasing neurotransmitter reuptake and slow axonal transport.