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(Ivanhoe Newswire) New research indicates that early childhood exposure to lead may cause permanent brain damage.
The new Cincinnati Childrens Hospital study revealed a connection between higher lead levels and decreased activation in areas of the brain, including the parietal region. Researchers say white matter, part of the brain that matures early in life, adapts to the lead exposure. The last part of the brain to develop, the frontal lobe, is damaged by the lead exposure as it matures.
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Lead exposure has been associated with diminished IQ, poor academic performance, inability to focus and increased risk of criminal behavior, Kim Cecil, Ph.D., imaging scientist at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center and lead author of the study, was quoted as saying.
Cecil's study began with 33 infants and continued into their adulthood, for about 21 years. Brain function was evaluated through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The imaging results showed that participants with increased blood levels required additional regions of their brain to complete tasks requiring inhibition.
This tells us that the area of the brain responsible for inhibition is damaged by lead exposure and that other regions of the brain must compensate in order for an individual to perform, Cecil was quoted as saying. However, the compensation is not sufficient.
Researchers note that the damage caused by lead can be harmful and long lasting.
SOURCE: Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, December 1, 2009
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