title: Prenatal exposure to methylmercury and PCBs affects distinct stages of information processing: an event-related potential study with Inuit children.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Ecole de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Célyne H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bastien
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saint-Amour
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dewailly
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayotte
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Sandra W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muckle
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D007854:Lead; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D012643:Selenium
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 1999 Jul;107(7):587-91
references.pmid: 10379006
references.citation: Int J Psychophysiol. 2002 Dec;46(3):197-214
references.pmid: 12445948
references.citation: Neuropsychologia. 1992 Aug;30(8):723-41
references.pmid: 1407488
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1999 Jul-Aug;21(4):343-8
references.pmid: 10440477
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1996 Sep 12;335(11):783-9
references.pmid: 8703183
references.citation: Neurophysiol Clin. 2000 Aug;30(4):191-210
references.pmid: 11013894
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2008 May;29(3):453-9
references.pmid: 18400302
references.citation: BMC Neurosci. 2004 Oct 22;5:39
references.pmid: 15500693
references.citation: JAMA. 1998 Aug 26;280(8):701-7
references.pmid: 9728641
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Jul;111(9):1253-8
references.pmid: 12842782
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2008 Oct;116(10):1416-22
references.pmid: 18941588
references.citation: Arch Environ Health. 1999 Jan-Feb;54(1):40-7
references.pmid: 10025415
references.citation: Prog Brain Res. 1980;54:682-6
references.pmid: 7220985
references.citation: J Pediatr. 1999 Jan;134(1):33-41
references.pmid: 9880446
references.citation: J Pediatr. 2004 Feb;144(2):177-83
references.pmid: 14760257
references.citation: J Pediatr. 2008 Mar;152(3):356-64
references.pmid: 18280840
references.citation: BMC Neurosci. 2008 Jan 31;9:18
references.pmid: 18237433
references.citation: Psychiatry Res. 2005 Feb 28;133(2-3):215-28
references.pmid: 15740997
references.citation: Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2005 Dec;5(4):417-33
references.pmid: 16541812
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1997 Nov-Dec;19(6):417-28
references.pmid: 9392777
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2001 Dec;109(12):1291-9
references.pmid: 11748038
references.citation: Lancet. 2006 Dec 16;368(9553):2167-78
references.pmid: 17174709
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2006 Jul;27(4):567-78
references.pmid: 16620993
references.citation: Lancet. 2003 May 17;361(9370):1686-92
references.pmid: 12767734
references.citation: Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2005 Nov;26(11):549-57
references.pmid: 16185774
references.citation: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 May 1;204(3):343-54
references.pmid: 15845423
references.citation: Int J Psychophysiol. 1997 Apr;25(3):249-55
references.pmid: 9105949
references.citation: Int J Psychophysiol. 2002 Dec;46(3):177-95
references.pmid: 12445947
references.citation: Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2004 Apr;77(3):153-8
references.pmid: 14963712
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2006 May-Jun;28(3):363-75
references.pmid: 16647838
references.citation: Biol Psychol. 2003 Jan;62(1):65-87
references.pmid: 12505768
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 1993 Dec 1;138(11):923-36
references.pmid: 8256780
references.citation: Psychophysiology. 1987 Jul;24(4):375-425
references.pmid: 3615753
references.citation: J Pediatr. 1990 Jan;116(1):38-45
references.pmid: 2104928
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 1999 Aug 1;150(3):301-5
references.pmid: 10430235
references.citation: Neurochem Int. 2000 Aug-Sep;37(2-3):199-206
references.pmid: 10812205
references.citation: J Pediatr. 2003 Dec;143(6):780-8
references.pmid: 14657828
references.citation: Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1998 Feb;106(2):156-64
references.pmid: 9741777
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2000 Dec;21(6):1029-38
references.pmid: 11233749
references.citation: Clin Neurophysiol. 2007 Oct;118(10):2128-48
references.pmid: 17573239
references.citation: Dev Med Child Neurol. 1994 Apr;36(4):312-20
references.pmid: 8157153
references.citation: Psychophysiology. 1981 Sep;18(5):493-513
references.pmid: 7280146
references.citation: Int J Psychophysiol. 1996 Dec;24(3):223-38
references.pmid: 8993997
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Mar;115(3):323-7
references.pmid: 17431478
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2008 May 15;167(10):1171-81
references.pmid: 18353804
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 1985 Feb;59:5-10
references.pmid: 3921364
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Jan;117(1):7-16
references.pmid: 19165381
references.citation: Brain Res. 1993 Apr 2;607(1-2):249-54
references.pmid: 8097664
references.citation: Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol Suppl. 1995;44:102-9
references.pmid: 7649012
references.citation: Neuropathology. 2000 Sep;20 Suppl:S14-9
references.pmid: 11037181
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2009 Jan;30(1):37-46
references.pmid: 18992767
references.citation: Child Dev. 1985 Aug;56(4):853-60
references.pmid: 3930167
references.citation: Science. 1981 Jan 2;211(4477):77-80
references.pmid: 7444452
references.citation: Biol Psychol. 1997 Mar 21;45(1-3):19-56
references.pmid: 9083643
references.citation: Dev Med Child Neurol. 2004 Jun;46(6):398-405
references.pmid: 15174531
references.citation: Environ Health Perspect. 2009 Sep;117(9):1380-6
references.pmid: 19750101
references.citation: Brain Dev. 2009 Apr;31(4):288-93
references.pmid: 18640798
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2009 Nov;30(6):1070-7
references.pmid: 19576242
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Dec;77(12):7476-8
references.pmid: 6938987
references.citation: Food Chem Toxicol. 2005 Jan;43(1):77-85
references.pmid: 15582198
references.citation: Science. 1973 Oct 12;182(4108):177-80
references.pmid: 4730062
references.citation: Science. 1973 Jul 20;181(4096):230-41
references.pmid: 4719063
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2005 Mar-Apr;27(2):245-57
references.pmid: 15734276
references.citation: Monogr Am Assoc Ment Defic. 1987;(8):139-58
references.pmid: 3039367
references.citation: Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2009 Apr;12(3):357-70
references.pmid: 18771605
references.citation: Prog Neurobiol. 1989;32(6):447-70
references.pmid: 2664880
references.citation: Psychophysiology. 1983 Nov;20(6):665-9
references.pmid: 6657855
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 1989 Oct;79(10):1401-4
references.pmid: 2551196
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Sep 15;90(18):8722-6
references.pmid: 8378354
references.citation: Neurotoxicology. 2008 Sep;29(5):767-75
references.pmid: 18590763
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1999 Jan-Feb;21(1):83-8
references.pmid: 10023805
references.citation: Int J Psychophysiol. 2010 Jun;76(3):148-57
references.pmid: 20338199
references.citation: Can J Public Health. 1998 May-Jun;89 Suppl 1:S20-5, 22-7
references.pmid: 9654788
references.citation: Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2001 Aug;25(6):465-76
references.pmid: 11595268
references.citation: Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2002 May-Jun;24(3):349-58
references.pmid: 12009490
references.citation: Science. 1977 Aug 19;197(4305):792-5
references.pmid: 887923
references.citation: Am J Ind Med. 2007 Oct;50(10):765-71
references.pmid: 17450510