neurotoxic

American  

[noor-oh-tok-sik, nyoor-] / ˌnʊər oʊˈtɒk sɪk, ˌnyʊər- /

adjective

1. poisonous to nerve tissue, as to the brain or spinal cord.

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Etymology

Origin of neurotoxic

First recorded in 1900–05; neuro- + toxic

Example Sentences

As a result, tryptophan is redirected toward the kynurenic pathway, which produces neurotoxic compounds, while the production of protective neurotransmitters such as serotonin and melatonin declines.

From Science Daily • Jan. 15, 2026

Other studies have found high levels of ultrafine particles, which can carry neurotoxic and other chemicals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Tau proteins play an important role in stabilizing neurons, but with age, they can start to clod together, forming tangles that are neurotoxic and can jam themselves into the entire intracellular space of a neuron.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2022

Then along came George Ricaurte, a neurologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who made a name for himself by touting the alleged neurotoxic and lethal effects of MDMA.

From Scientific American • Feb. 7, 2022

It was at first believed that there were two types of venoms: neurotoxic, which acts upon nervous tissue; and haemotoxic, which acts on blood and other tissues.

From Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) by Burkett, Ray D.