Prenatal and Early Postnatal Exposure to Manganese Could Affect Cognitive Ability and Motor Control in Teens
Early-life exposure to the mineral manganese disrupts the way different areas of the brain involved in cognitive ability and motor control connect in teenagers, Mount Sinai researchers report in a study published in PLOS ONE in August.
This study is the first to link evidence of metal exposure found in baby teeth to measures of brain connectivity. Researchers found links between early-life manganese exposure and altered functional connectivity of brain areas that support cognitive and motor control, potentially leading to low IQ, attention disorders, and hyperactivity.
“These findings could inform prevention and intervention efforts to reduce these poor outcomes in adolescents exposed to high levels of manganese,” said Erik de Water, the first author and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
People can be exposed to manganese via air pollution, diet, drinking water, pesticides, and secondhand smoke. Researchers measured manganese concentrations in baby teeth to determine exposure during pregnancy, the first year of life, and early childhood.
They used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to measure intrinsic functional connectivity of the brain in adolescents. Higher manganese concentrations in the first year of life were associated with increased intrinsic functional connectivity within cognitive control brain areas, but decreased connectivity between motor areas in adolescents.
About The Institute for Exposomic Research
The Institute for Exposomic Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the world’s first research institute devoted to the intensive study of the exposome, or the totality of environmental influences on human health. The mission of the Institute is to understand how the complex mix of nutritional, chemical, and social environments affect health, disease, and development later in life and to translate those findings into new strategies for prevention and treatment. For more information, visit http://icahn.mssm.edu/exposomics.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.