Airborne copper exposure in school environments associated with poorer motor performance and altered basal ganglia
Pujol Nuez, Jesús (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental)
Fenoll, Raquel (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Macià Bros, Dídac (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Martínez Vilavella, Gerard (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Álvarez Pedrerol, Mar (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública)
Rivas Lara, Ioar (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Forns, Joan (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública)
Deus Yela, Juan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Blanco Hinojo, Laura (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Querol Carceller, Xavier (Institut de Diagnosi Ambiental i Estudis de l'Aigua)
Sunyer Deu, Jordi (Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques)

Date:	2016
Abstract:	Children are more vulnerable to the effects of environmental elements. A variety of air pollutants are among the identified factors causing neural damage at toxic concentrations. It is not obvious, however, to what extent the tolerated high levels of air pollutants are able to alter brain development. We have specifically investigated the neurotoxic effects of airborne copper exposure in school environments. Speed and consistency of motor response were assessed in 2836 children aged from 8 to 12 years. Anatomical , diffusion tensor imaging, and functional were used to directly test the brain repercussions in a subgroup of 263 children. Higher copper exposure was associated with poorer motor performance and altered structure of the basal ganglia. Specifically, the architecture of the caudate nucleus region was less complete in terms of both tissue composition and neural track water diffusion. Functional consistently showed a reciprocal connectivity reduction between the caudate nucleus and the frontal cortex. The results establish an association between environmental copper exposure in children and alterations of basal ganglia structure and function.
Grants:	European Commission 268479 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-1673
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Air pollution ; Brain development ; Copper ; Diffusion tensor imaging ; Neurodegenerative disorders
Published in:	Brain and behavior, Vol. 6, Issue 6 (June 2016) , art. e00467, ISSN 2162-3279

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.467
PMID: 27134768

13 p, 1.3 MB

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