Decreased brain volumes in manganese-exposed welders

Yongmin Chang, Seong Uk Jin, Yangho Kim, Kyung Min Shin, Hui Joong Lee, Suk Hwan Kim, Joon Ho Ahn, Sin Jae Park, Kyoung Sook Jeong, Young Cheol Weon, Heun Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: A great deal of research has been devoted to identifying subclinical functional brain abnormalities in manganese (Mn)-exposed welders. However, no previous study has investigated morphological brain abnormalities, such as changes in brain volume, in welders. This study evaluates morphological changes in brain volume among welders, and investigates the relationship between structural brain abnormalities and subclinical dysfunction in this population. Methods: We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess differences in gray and white matter brain volumes between 40 welders with chronic Mn exposure and 26 age-matched control subjects. Correlation analyses were used to investigate the relationship between brain volume changes and decreased performance on neurobehavioral tests. Results: Brain volumes in the globus pallidus and cerebellar regions were significantly diminished in welders with chronic Mn exposure compared to controls (FDR-corrected P<. 0.05). These changes in brain volume were negatively correlated with cognitive performance and grooved pegboard scores. Conclusion: There are measurable brain volume reductions in the globus pallidus and cerebellum of welders chronically exposed to Mn, and these volume reductions correlate with cognitive and motor neurobehavioral deficits. Our findings therefore indicate that volumetric measurement could be a useful subclinical marker among welders that show no signs of manganism.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)182-189
Number of pages8
JournalNeuroToxicology
Volume37
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013

Keywords

  • Manganese
  • MRI
  • Neurobehavioral performance
  • Voxel-based morphometry (VBM)
  • Welder

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