Airborne copper exposure in school environments associated with poorer motor performance and altered basal ganglia

• Published in: Brain and behavior Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. e00467 - n/a
• Main Authors: Pujol, Jesus, Fenoll, Raquel, Macià, Dídac, Martínez‐Vilavella, Gerard, Alvarez‐Pedrerol, Mar, Rivas, Ioar, Forns, Joan, Deus, Joan, Blanco‐Hinojo, Laura, Querol, Xavier, Sunyer, Jordi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.06.2016; Willey; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Age; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air pollution; Aire; Alzheimer's disease; Basal Ganglia - diagnostic imaging; Basal Ganglia - pathology; Basal Ganglia - physiopathology; Body mass index; brain development; Brain research; Caudate Nucleus - diagnostic imaging; Caudate Nucleus - pathology; Caudate Nucleus - physiopathology; Child; Child Development - physiology; Contaminació; copper; Copper - toxicity; Desenvolupament; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Education; Environmental Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Families & family life; Female; fMRI; Follow-Up Studies; Frontal Lobe - diagnostic imaging; Humans; Infants; Magnetic fields; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; neurodegenerative disorders; Original Research; Pollutants; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Schools; Schools - statistics & numerical data; Spain - epidemiology; Standard deviation; Studies; Spain; brain development; fMRI; Air pollution; copper; diffusion tensor imaging; neurodegenerative disorders
• ISSN: 2162-3279; 2162-3279
• DOI: 10.1002/brb3.467

Introduction Children are more vulnerable to the effects of environmental elements. A variety of air pollutants are among the identified factors causing neural damage at toxic concentrations. It is not obvious, however, to what extent the tolerated high levels of air pollutants are able to alter brain development. We have specifically investigated the neurotoxic effects of airborne copper exposure in school environments. Methods Speed and consistency of motor response were assessed in 2836 children aged from 8 to 12 years. Anatomical MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and functional MRI were used to directly test the brain repercussions in a subgroup of 263 children. Results Higher copper exposure was associated with poorer motor performance and altered structure of the basal ganglia. Specifically, the architecture of the caudate nucleus region was less complete in terms of both tissue composition and neural track water diffusion. Functional MRI consistently showed a reciprocal connectivity reduction between the caudate nucleus and the frontal cortex. Conclusions The results establish an association between environmental copper exposure in children and alterations of basal ganglia structure and function. School children are vulnerable to copper levels common in urban environments. Copper appears to interfere with the development of frontobasal ganglia circuits. Copper contribution to neurodegenerative disorders may start early in life.