Meeting Banner
Abstract #2345

Working Memory Impairment in Occupational Lead Exposure Subjects Associated with Altered Frontoparietal Memory Network

Jeehye Seo1, Seong-Uk Jin1, Hee-Kyung Kim1, Jang Woo Park1, Moon Han1, Jong Su Baeck1, Yongmin Chang1, 2, Young-Hwan Lee3

1Medical & Biological Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea; 2Radiology and Molecular Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea; 3Radiology, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, Korea

Occupational lead exposure in adults are associated with decreases in cognitive performance including working memory. The aim of this study is to elucidate the differences in neural activation related to working memory between lead exposure subjects and healthy subjects. Thirty-one lead exposure subjects and 34 healthy subjects performed an n-back memory task. We found that healthy subjects showed better performance in terms of accuracy and reaction times during the task. In between-group analyses, lead exposure subjects showed reduced activation in the dorsolateral, dorsomedial and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and inferior parietal cortex. Our findings suggest that functional abnormalities in the frontoparietal working memory network might contribute to impairments in maintenance and manipulation of working memory in lead exposure subjects.

Abstract PDF

Keywords

abnormalities accuracy activation activations activities agreed allowing alphabet altered analyses analyzed anatomical approved arch asked assess assessed assoc attention back baron batteries beginning better biological block blue board bold brain carried catholic childhood comprising condition content contrast contribute control controls corrected correlates cortex cortical direct directly discovery employed engineering enrolled environ environmental examined except exposed exposure factories false female findings function functional general generating health healthy hospital impaired impairment impairments individual inference inferior informed institutional investigated investigations lead letter letters maintenance major make manipulation manual maps matched matrix medical medicine memory might mnemonic model molecular moon motor national network neural occupational paradigm parametric parietal park participants participate performance plants population potent previous problem processing protocol public radiology reaction recruited reduced related remain remember respond response revealed review sample scanner significantly solvents statistical statistically student subjects suggest target task terms thereby threshold thresholded trial verbal visual weaver whole widespread workers written young