Effects of prenatal PCB exposure on cognitive processing efficiency and sustained attention

Bibliographic Data

ID9785909
AuthorsJoseph L Jacobson (0000-0001-8271-280X, corresponding author), Sandra W Jacobson (0000-0002-9768-2671), Robert J Padgett (0000-0003-4380-6808, Wayne State University), Gail A Brumitt (Wayne State University), Et Al, et al et al, Robin L Billings (Wayne State University)
Year1992
Volume28
Issue2
Pages297-306
Publication date1992-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0012-1649.28.2.297
OpenAlexW4244097113
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited9

Four-year-old children exposed prenatally to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), an environmental toxin, were assessed on three tasks―two designed to evaluate cognitive processing efficiency and one to evaluate sustained attention. When compared with standardized IQ tests, these tasks provided greater specificity in identifying cognitive deficits. Adapted for 4-year-old children in the present study, these paradigms demonstrated moderate levels of test-retest reliability. Prenatal exposure to PCBs was associated with less efficient visual discrimination processing and more errors in short-term memory scanning but not with sustained attention. Although much larger quantities of these contaminants are transferred postnatally via breasfeeding than prenatally across the placenta, postnatal exposure was unrelated to cognitive performance. The data link intrauterine PCB exposure to two dimensions of cognitive functioning fundamental to learning

Cognition · Cognitive development · Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Gestation · Offspring · Pregnancy · Prenatal exposure · Psychiatry · Birth, Development, and Health · Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging · Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects · Psychology

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