Whole-brain mapping of increased manganese levels in welders and its association with exposure and motor function.
Neuroimage
; 288: 120523, 2024 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38278427
ABSTRACT
Although manganese (Mn) is a trace metal essential for humans, chronic exposure to Mn can cause accumulation of this metal ion in the brain leading to an increased risk of neurological and neurobehavioral health effects. This is a concern for welders exposed to Mn through welding fumes. While brain Mn accumulation in occupational settings has mostly been reported in the basal ganglia, several imaging studies also revealed elevated Mn in other brain areas. Since Mn functions as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1 contrast agent, we developed a whole-brain MRI approach to map in vivo Mn deposition differences in the brains of non-exposed factory controls and exposed welders. This is a cross-sectional analysis of 23 non-exposed factory controls and 36 exposed full-time welders from the same truck manufacturer. We collected high-resolution 3D MRIs of brain anatomy and R1 relaxation maps to identify regional differences using voxel-based quantification (VBQ) and statistical parametric mapping. Furthermore, we investigated the associations between excess Mn deposition and neuropsychological and motor test performance. Our results indicate that (1) Using whole-brain MRI relaxometry methods we can generate excess Mn deposition maps in vivo, (2) excess Mn accumulation due to occupational exposure occurs beyond the basal ganglia in cortical areas associated with motor and cognitive functions, (3) Mn likely diffuses along white matter tracts in the brain, and (4) Mn deposition in specific brain regions is associated with exposure (cerebellum and frontal cortex) and motor metrics (cerebellum and hippocampus).
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Metal Workers
/
Manganese
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Neuroimage
Journal subject:
DIAGNOSTICO POR IMAGEM
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States