Lin Kao-Chang, Guo Nai-Wen, Tsai Pei-Chien, Yang Chiu-Yueh, Guo YueLiang Leon
Department of Neurology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan.
Environ Health Perspect. 2008 Feb;116(2):184-9. doi: 10.1289/ehp.10134.
In 1979 approximately 2,000 people were exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) due to ingestion of contaminated cooking oil in Taiwan. Although a previous study has shown delayed developmental milestones and poorer neurocognitive functioning in children born to exposed mothers, it is unclear whether neurocognitive functioning was impaired in people who were directly exposed to the PCBs and PDCFs.
The objective of this study was to compare neurocognitive functioning in people exposed to PCBs and PCDFs with that of unexposed sex- and age-matched neighbors.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study among exposed and unexposed subjects > or =60 years of age using prospective outcome measurements. We evaluated neurocognitive tests including cognition, memory modalities, learning, motor and sensory function, mood, and daily activity.
In total, 162 (59%) exposed and 151 (55%) reference subjects completed this study. In exposed men, all test results were similar to the reference group; however, exposed women had reduced functioning in attention and digit span (ADS), visual memory span (VMS), and verbal memory recalls (VMR), especially learning ability. We also found a borderline reduction in the Mini-Mental State Examination. The digit symbol, motor, sensory, depression (determined by the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form), and activity of daily life were not different between the exposed and reference groups. A significant dose-response relationship was found for VMR, ADS, and VMS.
Our study showed dose-dependent neurocognitive deficits in certain aspects of attention, visual memory, and learning ability in women previously exposed to PCBs and PCDFs, but not in exposed men.
1979年，台湾约2000人因食用受污染的食用油而接触到多氯联苯（PCBs）和多氯二苯并呋喃（PCDFs）。尽管先前的一项研究表明，接触过这些污染物的母亲所生子女的发育里程碑延迟，神经认知功能较差，但尚不清楚直接接触PCBs和PCDFs的人其神经认知功能是否受损。
本研究的目的是比较接触PCBs和PCDFs的人与未接触的年龄和性别匹配的邻居的神经认知功能。
我们对年龄≥60岁的接触者和未接触者进行了一项回顾性队列研究，采用前瞻性结局测量方法。我们评估了神经认知测试，包括认知、记忆方式、学习、运动和感觉功能、情绪及日常活动。
共有162名（59%）接触者和151名（55%）参照对象完成了本研究。在接触组男性中，所有测试结果与参照组相似；然而，接触组女性在注意力和数字广度（ADS）、视觉记忆广度（VMS）及言语记忆回忆（VMR）方面功能下降，尤其是学习能力。我们还发现简易精神状态检查结果有临界性降低。数字符号、运动、感觉、抑郁（由老年抑郁量表简表确定）及日常生活活动在接触组和参照组之间无差异。VMR、ADS和VMS存在显著的剂量反应关系。
我们的研究表明，既往接触PCBs和PCDFs的女性在注意力、视觉记忆和学习能力的某些方面存在剂量依赖性神经认知缺陷，但接触组男性未出现这种情况。
