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Brain gray matter volume of reward-related structures in Inuit adolescents pre- and postnatally exposed to lead, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls.
- Source :
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Neurotoxicology [Neurotoxicology] 2024 Jul; Vol. 103, pp. 162-174. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jun 14. - Publication Year :
- 2024
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Abstract
- This study aimed to assess associations between prenatal and postnatal exposure to lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and gray matter volume of key regions of the brain reward circuit, namely the caudate nucleus, putamen, nucleus accumbens (nAcc), the amygdala, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted in 77 Inuit adolescents (mean age = 18.39) from Nunavik, Canada, who also completed the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS-4) and Sensation Seeking - 2 (SS-2), two self-report questionnaires evaluating the tendency toward sensation seeking, which is a proxy of reward-related behaviors. Exposures to Pb, Hg and PCBs were measured in cord blood at birth, in blood samples at 11 years old and at time of testing (18 years old). Multivariate linear regressions were corrected for multiple comparisons and adjusted for potential confounders, such as participants' sociodemographic characteristics and nutrient fish intake. Results showed that higher cord blood Pb levels predicted smaller gray matter volume in the bilateral nAcc, caudate nucleus, amygdala and OFC as well as in left ACC. A moderating effect of sex was identified, indicating that the Pb-related reduction in volume in the nAcc and caudate nucleus was more pronounced in female. Higher blood Hg levels at age 11 predicted smaller right amygdala independently of sex. No significant associations were found between blood PCBs levels at all three times of exposure. This study provides scientific support for the detrimental effects of prenatal Pb and childhood Hg blood concentrations on gray matter volume in key reward-related brain structures.<br />Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.<br /> (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Humans
Female
Male
Adolescent
Pregnancy
Environmental Pollutants blood
Environmental Pollutants toxicity
Environmental Pollutants adverse effects
Child
Brain drug effects
Brain diagnostic imaging
Fetal Blood chemistry
Gray Matter drug effects
Gray Matter diagnostic imaging
Polychlorinated Biphenyls blood
Polychlorinated Biphenyls toxicity
Polychlorinated Biphenyls adverse effects
Lead blood
Lead toxicity
Lead adverse effects
Mercury blood
Mercury toxicity
Inuit
Reward
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects chemically induced
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1872-9711
- Volume :
- 103
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Neurotoxicology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38880197
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuro.2024.06.009