Everyday home radon exposure is associated with altered structural brain morphology in youths

The refinement of brain morphology extends across childhood, and exposure to environmental toxins during this period may alter typical trends. Radon is a highly common radiologic toxin with a well-established role in cancer among adults. However, effects on developmental populations are understudied...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neurotoxicology (Park Forest South) 2024-05, Vol.102, p.114-120
Main Authors: Smith, OgheneTejiri V., Penhale, Samantha H., Ott, Lauren R., Rice, Danielle L., Coutant, Anna T., Glesinger, Ryan, Wilson, Tony W., Taylor, Brittany K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Air Pollution, Indoor - adverse effects
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain - drug effects
Brain - pathology
Brain - radiation effects
Child
Developmental trajectory
Environmental exposure
Environmental Exposure - adverse effects
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Radon - adverse effects
Structural MRI
Volumetrics
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Summary:The refinement of brain morphology extends across childhood, and exposure to environmental toxins during this period may alter typical trends. Radon is a highly common radiologic toxin with a well-established role in cancer among adults. However, effects on developmental populations are understudied in comparison. This study investigated whether home radon exposure is associated with altered brain morphology in youths. Fifty-four participants (6–14 yrs, M=10.52 yrs, 48.15% male, 89% White) completed a T1-weighted MRI and home measures of radon. We observed a significant multivariate effect of home radon concentrations, which was driven by effects on GMV. Specifically, higher home radon was associated with smaller GMV (F=6.800, p=.012, ηp2=.13). Conversely, there was a trending radon-by-age interaction on WMV, which reached significance when accounting for the chronicity of radon exposure (F=4.12, p=.049, ηp2=.09). We found that youths with above-average radon exposure showed no change in WMV with age, whereas low radon was linked with normative, age-related WMV increases. These results suggest that everyday home radon exposure may alter sensitive structural brain development, impacting developmental trajectories in both gray and white matter.
ISSN:0161-813X
1872-9711
1872-9711
DOI:10.1016/j.neuro.2024.04.007