title: Cognitive sequelae of methanol poisoning involve executive dysfunction and memory impairment in cross-sectional and long-term perspective.
abstract: Methanol poisoning leads to lesions in the basal ganglia and subcortical white matter, as well as to demyelination and atrophy of the optic nerve. However, information regarding cognitive deficits in a large methanol sample is lacking. The principal aim of the present study was to identify the cognitive sequelae of methanol poisoning and their morphological correlates. A sample of 50 patients (METH; age 48 ± 13 years), 3-8 months after methanol poisoning, and 57 control subjects (CS; age 49 ± 13 years) were administered a neuropsychological battery. Forty-six patients were followed in 2 years' perspective. Patients additionally underwent 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three biochemical and toxicological metabolic markers and a questionnaire regarding alcohol abuse facilitated the classification of 24 patients with methanol poisoning without alcohol abuse (METHna) and 22 patients with methanol poisoning and alcohol abuse (METHa). All groups were compared to a control group of similar size, and matched for age, education, premorbid intelligence level, global cognitive performance, and level of depressive symptoms. Using hierarchical multiple regression we found significant differences between METH and CS, especially in executive and memory domains. METHa showed a similar pattern of cognitive impairment with generally more severe executive dysfunction. Moreover, all METH patients with extensive involvement on brain MRI (lesions in ≥2 anatomical regions) had a more severe cognitive impairment. From a longitudinal perspective, we did not find any changes in their cognitive functioning after 2 years' follow-up. Our findings suggest that methanol poisoning is associated with executive dysfunction and explicit memory impairment, supposedly due to basal ganglia dysfunction and disruption of frontostriatal circuitry proportional to the number of brain lesions, and that these changes are persistent after 2 years' follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: ondrej.bezdicek@gmail.com.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bezdicek
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Michalec
authors.affiliation: MR Unit, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaneckova
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klempir
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Liskova
authors.affiliation: MR Unit, Department of Radiodiagnostics, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.affiliation: Department of Addictology, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Janikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Addictology, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miovsky
authors.affiliation: Center for Experimental Medicine, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hubacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Diblik
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kuthan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kurcova
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Information Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fenclova
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Information Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Petrik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Biophysical Chemistry, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the AS CR, v.v.i., Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Navratil
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Information Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pelclova
authors.affiliation: Toxicological Information Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zakharov
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruzicka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D000432:Methanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000432:Methanol
keywords: Basal ganglia; Cognitive impairment; Executive function; Magnetic resonance imaging; Memory; Methanol poisoning