Lead exposure is associated with functional and microstructural changes in the healthy human brain.

ABSTRACT: Lead is a toxin known to harm many organs in the body, particularly the central nervous system, across an individual's lifespan. To date, no study has yet investigated the associations between body lead level and the microstructural properties of gray matter areas, and brain activity during attention-demanding tasks. Here, utilizing data of diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive measures among 920 typically developing young adults, we show greater hair lead levels are weakly but significantly associated with (a) increased working memory-related activity in the right premotor and pre-supplemental motor areas, (b) lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in white matter areas near the internal capsule, (c) lower mean diffusivity (MD) in the dopaminergic system

SUBMITTER: Takeuchi H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8313694 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature