Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41554310›Full record

ArticleEnvironmental research2026

Perinatal exposure to metal mixtures disrupts neuronal function and behavior.

Naveen Chandra, Benyamin Karimi, Ankita Bhobe, Susmitha Pagadala, Shekhar Pandey, Sylvia S Sanchez, Bonnie Yeung-Luk, Emily Rivera, Mark J Kohr, Beth Riess and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Environmental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Naveen ChandraDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: naveen.neuro@gmail.com.
Benyamin KarimiDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: bkarimi1@jh.edu.
Ankita BhobeDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: abhobe08@gmail.com.
Susmitha PagadalaDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: pagadalasusmitha01@gmail.com.
Shekhar PandeyDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: spande21@jh.edu.
Sylvia S SanchezDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: ssanch22@jhu.edu.
Bonnie Yeung-LukDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: hyeung4@jhu.edu.
Emily RiveraDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. Electronic address: emilyriv22@gmail.com.
Mark J KohrDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: mkohr1@jhu.edu.
Beth RiessDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: lriess1@jhu.edu.
Keeve E NachmanDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA; Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: knachman@jhu.edu.
Shyam BiswalDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: sbiswal@jhu.edu.
Fenna C M SilléDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: fsille1@jhu.edu.
Austin R GravesDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. Electronic address: agrave12@jhmi.edu.

Funding

Pilot Project ProgramP30ES032756 · NIEHS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Marsha Wills-Karp · 2022 to 2026
$6.0M
Neurotoxicity due to Environmental complex Metal Mixtures ExposureRF1NS130672 · NINDS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI BISWAL, SHYAM, HARTUNG, THOMAS · 2022 to 2022
$2.4M
Neurotoxicity due to Environmental complex Metal Mixtures ExposureR01NS130672 · NINDS · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Shyam Biswal, Thomas Hartung · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES032756NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS130672NINDS NIH HHS RF1 NS130672
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEnvironmental exposure to heavy metals such as lead (Pb), arsenic (As), hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], and cadmium (Cd), (PACC), is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. These metals often co-occur in contaminated environments, but their combined effects on brain development remain poorly understood.

objectiveTo test the hypothesis that perinatal exposure to a mixture of environmentally relevant levels of Pb, As, Cd, and Cr(VI), causes developmental defects in cognition, behavior, and neuronal function.

methodsFemale C57BL/6J mice were exposed to either a single metal or the PACC mixture in drinking water. Exposure began two weeks preconception and continued until weaning at postnatal day 21. Juvenile mice were tested at 4-5 weeks of age in open field (locomotion), novel object recognition (short-term memory), Y-maze (working memory), and elevated plus maze (anxiety-like behavior). A subset of animals underwent Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampal CA1 neurons.

resultsPerinatal exposure to PACC metal mixture increased anxiety-like behavior and impaired short-term memory but not locomotion or working memory. Pyramidal neurons in mPFC and hippocampal CA1 displayed increased intrinsic excitability, mPFC neurons also showed elevated amplitude in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that perinatal exposure to the PACC metal mixture impairs cognition, increases anxiety-like behavior, and alters neuronal function in specific brain regions of juvenile mice, leading to disruption in neuronal function and behavior. Further studies are needed to provide mechanistic insight into how perinatal heavy metal exposure affects neuronal development.

Indexed as

Behavior, AnimalNeuronsPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAnimalsAnxietyArsenicCadmiumFemaleMaze LearningMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPrefrontal CortexPregnancyArsenicCadmiumAnxietyArsenicCadmiumChromiumElectrophysiologyLeadMemoryNeurodevelopmentPACC metal mixturePerinatal exposure

Identifiers

PMID41554310
PMCPMC12989088

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.