ArticleEnvironmental research2017
Associations of cumulative Pb exposure and longitudinal changes in Mini-Mental Status Exam scores, global cognition and domains of cognition: The VA Normative Aging Study.
Article in Environmental research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association between proximity to a lead-releasing facility and cognition in diverse cohorts.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Pooled it
- Air Pollution and Dementia: A Systematic Review.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2019Pooled it
- Urinary Metal Levels after Repeated Edetate Disodium Infusions: Preliminary Findings.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Trial
- Understanding the contribution of toxicant exposures to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.Current opinion in neurobiology · 2026Review
- Endothelial PAI-1 Drives Lead-Induced Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy via Activation of C3Biology · 2026Article
- Metal Pollution in the Air and Its Effects on Vulnerable Populations: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Occupational neurotoxicant exposures, cognitive reserve, and brain aging: a scoping review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Association of midlife air pollution and road proximity exposure with 29-year cognitive decline.Neurotoxicology · 2025Article
- Optimism and cognitive functioning trajectories in a cohort of aging men.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025Article
- Racialized experience, biomarkers of lead exposure, and later-life cognition: a mediation analysis.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Exposome-wide association study of cognition among older adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Exposome · 2025Article
- The Epidemiological and Toxicological Intersection of Air Pollution and Dementia.Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology · 2025Review
- Lead Acetate Exposure and Cerebral Amyloid Accumulation: Mechanistic Evaluations in APP/PS1 Mice.Environmental health perspectives · 2024Article
- Metal Toxicity and Dementia Including Frontotemporal Dementia: Current State of Knowledge.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Exposome-wide association study of cognition among older adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Single-cell investigation of lead toxicity from neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration: Current review and future opportunities.Current opinion in toxicology · 2024Article
- Assessing the contribution of the chemical exposome to neurodegenerative disease.Nature neuroscience · 2024Article
- Associations between solar and geomagnetic activity and cognitive function in the Normative Aging study.Environment international · 2024Article
- To promote healthy aging, focus on the environment.Nature aging · 2023Review
- Association of environmental lead toxicity and hematologic outcomes in patients with advanced kidney disease.Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLead (Pb) exposure has been associated with poorer cognitive function cross-sectionally in aging adults, however the association between cumulative Pb exposure and longitudinal changes in cognition is little characterized.
methodsIn a 1993-2007 subcohort of the VA Normative Aging Study (Mini-mental status exam (MMSE) n=741; global cognition summary score n=715), we used linear mixed effects models to test associations between cumulative Pb exposure (patella or tibia bone Pb) and repeated measures of cognition (MMSE, individual cognitive tests, and global cognition summary). Cox proportional hazard modeling assessed the risk of an MMSE score falling below 25.
resultsAmong men 51-98 at baseline, higher patella Pb concentration (IQR: 21μg/g) was associated with -0.13 lower baseline MMSE (95% CI: -0.25, -0.004) and faster longitudinal MMSE decline (-0.016 units/year, 95% CI: -0.032, -0.0004) over 15 years. Each IQR increase in patella Pb was associated with increased risk of a MMSE score below 25 (HR=1.21, 95% CI: 0.99, 1.49; p=0.07). There were no significant associations between Pb and global cognition (both baseline and longitudinal change). Patella Pb was associated with faster longitudinal decline in Word List Total Recall in the language domain (0.014 units/year, 95% CI: -0.026, -0.001) and Word List Delayed Recall in the memory domain (0.014 units/year, 95% CI: -0.027, -0.002). We found weaker associations with tibia Pb.
conclusionsCumulative Pb exposure is associated with faster declines in MMSE and Word List Total and Delayed Recall tests. These findings support the hypothesis that Pb exposure accelerates cognitive aging.
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