RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cognitive function and plasma BDNF levels among manganese-exposed smelters
JF Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JO Occup Environ Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 189
OP 194
DO 10.1136/oemed-2013-101896
VO 71
IS 3
A1 Zou, Yunfeng
A1 Qing, Li
A1 Zeng, Xiaoyun
A1 Shen, Yuefei
A1 Zhong, Yaoqiu
A1 Liu, Jing
A1 Li, Qin
A1 Chen, Kangcheng
A1 Lv, Yingnan
A1 Huang, Damin
A1 Liang, Guiqiang
A1 Zhang, Wei
A1 Chen, Lang
A1 Yang, Yiping
A1 Yang, Xiaobo
YR 2014
UL http://oem.bmj.com/content/71/3/189.abstract
AB Objectives To explore the potential dose–response relationship between manganese (Mn) exposure and cognitive function and also plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in occupational Mn exposure workers. Methods A total 819 workers were identified from our Mn-exposed workers, and 293 control workers were recruited in the same region. All exposed workers were divided into three groups based on Mn cumulative exposure index. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was applied to estimate cognitive function for all subjects. Plasma BDNF levels were determined by ELISA in 248 selected exposed workers and 100 controls. Results Mn-exposed workers had significantly lower MoCA scores than those in the control group (25.62±0.25): those in high-exposure group had the lowest scores (21.33±0.32), compared with the intermediate-exposure group (23.22±0.30) and low-exposure group (23.57±0.23). Mn exposure levels were inversely associated with MoCA total scores, all p<0.05. A positive correlation was found between plasma BDNF levels and MoCA total scores (r=0.278, p<0.01). Moreover, compared with the control group (288.7±181.7 pg/mL), BDNF levels were lower in the high-exposure group (127.5±99.8 pg/mL), and in the intermediate-exposure (178.2±138.1 pg/mL) and low-exposure groups (223.4±178.3 pg/mL). Additionally, plasma BDNF levels decreased significantly as Mn exposure levels increased (ptrend<0.01). Conclusions Mn exposure may be associated with decreased plasma BDNF levels and cognition impairment in this large cross-sectional study.