Prenatal exposure to methylmercury and PCBs affects distinct stages of information processing: an event-related potential study with Inuit children.
Methylmercury (MeHg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are seafood contaminants known for their adverse effects on neurodevelopment. This study examines the relation of developmental exposure to these contaminants to information processing assessed with event-related potentials (ERPs) in school-aged Inuit children from Nunavik (Arctic Québec). In a prospective longitudinal study on child development, exposure to contaminants was measured at birth and 11 years of age. An auditory oddball protocol was administered at 11 years to measure ERP components N1 and P3b. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of levels of the contaminants to auditory oddball performance (mean reaction time, omission errors and false alarms) and ERP parameters (latency and amplitude) after control for potential confounding variables. A total of 118 children provided useable ERP data. Prenatal MeHg exposure was associated with slower reaction times and fewer false alarms during the oddball task. Analyses of the ERP parameters revealed that prenatal MeHg exposure was related to greater amplitude and delayed latency of the N1 wave in the target condition but not to the P3b component. MeHg effects on the N1 were stronger after control for seafood nutrients. Prenatal PCB exposure was not related to any endpoint for sample as a whole but was associated with a decrease in P3b amplitude in the subgroup of children who had been breast-fed for less than 3 months. Body burdens of MeHg and PCBs at 11 years were not related to any of the behavioural or ERP measures. These data suggest that prenatal MeHg exposure alters attentional mechanisms modulating early processing of sensory information. By contrast, prenatal PCB exposure appears to affect information processing at later stages, when the information is being consciously evaluated. These effects seem to be mitigated in children who are breast-fed for a more extended period.
Boucher
Olivier
O
Ecole de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
Bastien
Célyne H
CH
Saint-Amour
Dave
D
Dewailly
Eric
E
Ayotte
Pierre
P
Jacobson
Joseph L
JL
Jacobson
Sandra W
SW
Muckle
Gina
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit / Q000523:psychology*; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000187:drug effects*; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011792:Quebec; D017747:Seafood; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity; D013997:Time Factors
D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D007854:Lead; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D012643:Selenium
Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Jul;107(7):587-91
10379006
Int J Psychophysiol. 2002 Dec;46(3):197-214
12445948
Neuropsychologia. 1992 Aug;30(8):723-41
1407488
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1999 Jul-Aug;21(4):343-8
10440477
N Engl J Med. 1996 Sep 12;335(11):783-9
8703183
Neurophysiol Clin. 2000 Aug;30(4):191-210
11013894
Neurotoxicology. 2008 May;29(3):453-9
18400302
BMC Neurosci. 2004 Oct 22;5:39
15500693
JAMA. 1998 Aug 26;280(8):701-7
9728641
Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jul;111(9):1253-8
12842782
Environ Health Perspect. 2008 Oct;116(10):1416-22
18941588
Arch Environ Health. 1999 Jan-Feb;54(1):40-7
10025415
Prog Brain Res. 1980;54:682-6
7220985
J Pediatr. 1999 Jan;134(1):33-41
9880446
J Pediatr. 2004 Feb;144(2):177-83
14760257
J Pediatr. 2008 Mar;152(3):356-64
18280840
BMC Neurosci. 2008 Jan 31;9:18
18237433
Psychiatry Res. 2005 Feb 28;133(2-3):215-28
15740997
Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2005 Dec;5(4):417-33
16541812
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1997 Nov-Dec;19(6):417-28
9392777
Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Dec;109(12):1291-9
11748038
Lancet. 2006 Dec 16;368(9553):2167-78
17174709
Neurotoxicology. 2006 Jul;27(4):567-78
16620993
Lancet. 2003 May 17;361(9370):1686-92
12767734
Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2005 Nov;26(11):549-57
16185774
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 May 1;204(3):343-54
15845423
Int J Psychophysiol. 1997 Apr;25(3):249-55
9105949
Int J Psychophysiol. 2002 Dec;46(3):177-95
12445947
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2004 Apr;77(3):153-8
14963712
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2006 May-Jun;28(3):363-75
16647838
Biol Psychol. 2003 Jan;62(1):65-87
12505768
Am J Epidemiol. 1993 Dec 1;138(11):923-36
8256780
Psychophysiology. 1987 Jul;24(4):375-425
3615753
J Pediatr. 1990 Jan;116(1):38-45
2104928
Am J Epidemiol. 1999 Aug 1;150(3):301-5
10430235
Neurochem Int. 2000 Aug-Sep;37(2-3):199-206
10812205
J Pediatr. 2003 Dec;143(6):780-8
14657828
Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1998 Feb;106(2):156-64
9741777
Neurotoxicology. 2000 Dec;21(6):1029-38
11233749
Clin Neurophysiol. 2007 Oct;118(10):2128-48
17573239
Dev Med Child Neurol. 1994 Apr;36(4):312-20
8157153
Psychophysiology. 1981 Sep;18(5):493-513
7280146
Int J Psychophysiol. 1996 Dec;24(3):223-38
8993997
Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Mar;115(3):323-7
17431478
Am J Epidemiol. 2008 May 15;167(10):1171-81
18353804
Environ Health Perspect. 1985 Feb;59:5-10
3921364
Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Jan;117(1):7-16
19165381
Brain Res. 1993 Apr 2;607(1-2):249-54
8097664
Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol Suppl. 1995;44:102-9
7649012
Neuropathology. 2000 Sep;20 Suppl:S14-9
11037181
Neurotoxicology. 2009 Jan;30(1):37-46
18992767
Child Dev. 1985 Aug;56(4):853-60
3930167
Science. 1981 Jan 2;211(4477):77-80
7444452
Biol Psychol. 1997 Mar 21;45(1-3):19-56
9083643
Dev Med Child Neurol. 2004 Jun;46(6):398-405
15174531
Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Sep;117(9):1380-6
19750101
Brain Dev. 2009 Apr;31(4):288-93
18640798
Neurotoxicology. 2009 Nov;30(6):1070-7
19576242
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Dec;77(12):7476-8
6938987
Food Chem Toxicol. 2005 Jan;43(1):77-85
15582198
Science. 1973 Oct 12;182(4108):177-80
4730062
Science. 1973 Jul 20;181(4096):230-41
4719063
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2005 Mar-Apr;27(2):245-57
15734276
Monogr Am Assoc Ment Defic. 1987;(8):139-58
3039367
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2009 Apr;12(3):357-70
18771605
Prog Neurobiol. 1989;32(6):447-70
2664880
Psychophysiology. 1983 Nov;20(6):665-9
6657855
Am J Public Health. 1989 Oct;79(10):1401-4
2551196
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 15;90(18):8722-6
8378354
Neurotoxicology. 2008 Sep;29(5):767-75
18590763
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1999 Jan-Feb;21(1):83-8
10023805
Int J Psychophysiol. 2010 Jun;76(3):148-57
20338199
Can J Public Health. 1998 May-Jun;89 Suppl 1:S20-5, 22-7
9654788
Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2001 Aug;25(6):465-76
11595268
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2002 May-Jun;24(3):349-58
12009490
Science. 1977 Aug 19;197(4305):792-5
887923
Am J Ind Med. 2007 Oct;50(10):765-71
17450510