ERIC Number: EJ1348923
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1520-3247
EISSN: EISSN-1534-8687
Associations between Developmental Exposure to Environmental Contaminants and Spatial Navigation in Late Adolescence
Bastien, Kevin; Muckle, Gina; Ayotte, Pierre; Courtemanche, Yohann; Dodge, Neil C.; Jacobson, Joseph L.; Jacobson, Sandra W.; Saint-Amour, Dave
New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, n181-182 p11-35 Mar 2022
Inuit communities in Northern Quebec (Canada) are exposed to environmental contaminants, particularly to mercury, lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Previous studies reported adverse associations between these neurotoxicants and memory performance. Here we aimed to determine the associations of pre- and postnatal exposures to mercury, lead and PCB-153 on spatial navigation memory in 212 Inuit adolescents (mean age = 18.5 years) using a computer task which requires learning the location of a hidden platform based on allocentric spatial representation. Contaminant concentrations were measured in cord blood at birth and blood samples at 11 years of age and at time of testing. Multivariate regression models showed that adolescent mercury and prenatal PCB-153 exposures were associated with poorer spatial learning, whereas current exposure to PCB-153 was associated with altered spatial memory retrieval at the probe test trial. These findings suggest that contaminants might be linked to different aspects of spatial navigation processing at different stages.
Descriptors: Eskimos, Foreign Countries, Adolescents, Hazardous Materials, Pollution, Poisoning, Spatial Ability, Navigation, Child Development, Adolescent Development, Prenatal Influences
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01ES007902