Brown G G, Nixon R
JAMA. 1979 Aug 10;242(6):523-7. doi: 10.1001/jama.242.6.523.
Twenty-one persons exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) were compared with hospital volunteers on a battery of tests measuring memory, motor strength and coordination, cortical-sensory perception, personality, and higher cognitive functioning. Patients exposed to PBB were selected for this study only if they had persistent medical complaints. The PBB adipose levels did not correlate with performance on any test in the battery. The two groups did differ on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, suggesting an adjustment reaction with depressive symptoms and somatizing defenses. Persons exposed to PBB were also impaired relative to control subjects on tests of prose recall, short-term memory, concentration, and cognitive flexibility. However these differences vanished when group differences on education and personality were statistically held constant. The selective admission criteria for this study limit the generalizability of these findings.
将21名接触多溴联苯（PBB）的人与医院志愿者进行了一系列测试比较，这些测试包括记忆力、肌肉力量与协调性、皮层感觉、人格以及高级认知功能。只有那些有持续医学主诉的接触PBB的患者被选入本研究。PBB脂肪含量与该组任何测试的表现均无相关性。两组在明尼苏达多相人格调查表上存在差异，提示存在伴有抑郁症状和躯体化防御的适应反应。在散文回忆、短期记忆、注意力和认知灵活性测试中，接触PBB的人相对于对照组也表现受损。然而，当教育程度和人格的组间差异在统计学上保持恒定时，这些差异消失了。本研究的选择性纳入标准限制了这些发现的普遍性。
