Analysis of PCB Congeners Related to Cognitive Functioning in Adolescents

Overview

Journal Neurotoxicology

Specialties Environmental Health
Neurology
Toxicology

Date 2009 May 26

PMID 19465051

Citations 22

Authors

Joan Newman

Mia V Gallo

Lawrence M Schell

Anthony P DeCaprio

Melinda Denham

Glenn D Deane

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

To investigate the characteristics of PCBs that are linked to cognitive functioning, those congeners that were concurrently found in 271 Mohawk adolescents were grouped according to structure (dioxin-like or non-dioxin-like) and persistence (persistent or low-persistent). After the effects of the congener groups were orthogonalized, regression analyses (controlling for a number of variables found to be related to the cognitive outcomes) examined the relationship of each congener group to scores on three cognitive tests (the non-verbal Ravens Progressive Matrices, the Test of Memory and Learning, and the Woodcock Johnson-Revised). Five subtests from these cognitive tests were found to be associated with one or more PCB congener groups, most often at a moderate level. Two measures of long-term memory (Delayed Recall and Long Term Retrieval) were associated with all four congener groups. Nevertheless, examination of the role of individual congeners in the significantly related congener groups revealed that almost all congeners associated with cognitive outcomes were non-dioxin-like and ortho-substituted. A notable exception was the Ravens test where scores were associated only with dioxin-like congeners. This finding adds to the limited evidence of neurotoxic effects of dioxin-like congeners. Auditory Processing was related only to the persistent congener group. The association of the non-persistent congener group with three cognitive test scores (Delayed Recall, Long Term Retrieval and Comprehension-Knowledge) suggests that the Mohawk adolescents have experienced continuing or recent environmental exposure to PCBs that is sufficient to result in detectable cognitive decrements. Comparison of our findings with those of other human studies was limited by the relative lack of specificity of both PCB measures and cognitive outcome measures in much previous work.

Citing Articles

Mixture Effects of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Three Organochlorine Pesticides on Cognitive Function in Mohawk Adults at Akwesasne.

Sasaki N, Jones L, Morse G, Carpenter D, The Akwesasne Task Force On The Environment Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023; 20(2).

PMID: 36673903 PMC: 9859591. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021148.

An evidence map of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and health outcome studies among residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation.

Weitekamp C, Shaffer R, Chiang C, Lehmann G, Christensen K Chemosphere. 2022; 306:135454.

PMID: 35764106 PMC: 9444975. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135454.

Associations of concurrent PCB and PBDE serum concentrations with executive functioning in adolescents.

Sprowles J, Monaikul S, Aguiar A, Gardiner J, Monaikul N, Kostyniak P Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2022; 92:107092.

PMID: 35472414 PMC: 9271596. DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2022.107092.

Perspective on prenatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and the development of the progeny nervous system (Review).

Wang Y, Hu C, Fang T, Jin Y, Wu R Int J Mol Med. 2021; 48(2).

PMID: 34132363 PMC: 8219518. DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2021.4983.

Biomarkers of metabolic disorders and neurobehavioral diseases in a PCB- exposed population: What we learned and the implications for future research.

Simhadri J, Loffredo C, Trnovec T, Murinova L, Nunlee-Bland G, Koppe J Environ Res. 2020; 191:110211.

PMID: 32937175 PMC: 7658018. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110211.

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