Visual-Spatial Attention Abilities Among School Children Exposed to Low Environmental Lead Level

Online journal of biological sciences

article

Sana Maidoumi¹  Mariam Ouisselsat¹  Charif Radouan Ouaziz¹  Nadia Abbassi²  Mohamed Loukid³  Ahmed Ahami⁴  Alain Pineau⁵  Azeddine Sedki¹ 

[1] Laboratory of Water, Biodiversity and Climate Change, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University;CarMeN Laboratory, INSERM, INRAE, INSA Lyon, Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1;Laboratory of Pharmacology, Neurobiology, Anthropobiology, Environment, and Behaviour, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University;Laboratory of Biology and Health, Unit of Neuroscience and Nutrition, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University;Laboratory of Toxicology, Mineral Element Dosing Centre, UFR of Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, University of Nantes

关键词: Lead;    Soil Pollution;    Water;    Attention;    Children;    Morocco;   

DOI  :  10.3844/ojbsci.2022.439.447

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Science Publications

【 摘 要 】

Lead(Pb) is an intrusive toxic matter which harms the neuro-cognitive andbehavioral development of children even with doses considered normal. Thepresent paper aims at evaluating the visual-spatial attention function among142 schoolchildren living in a mining area (cases) in comparison to 177 livingin the Chouiter area (control group) in Marrakech. We used the Bell Dam Test (BDT)for the assessment of their visual attentional abilities and unilateral spatialneglect. Interviews with parents were conducted to identify co-variablesrelated to Pb exposure. Agricultural soil, drinking, and groundwater werecollected from the surrounding area of the children's school. The determinationof Pb content in the environment was performed by ICP-MS. The resultsdemonstrated that cases' scores in the test of visual attentional abilities andin scanning procedures were significantly worse in comparison to the controlgroup           (p = 0.05 and p = 0.002, respectively). In cases, soil Pb level washigher (67.14±10.13 g/g) than in controls (41.73±13.6 g/g). Pb levels ingroundwater and drinking water were low with a significant difference between the two areas in groundwater. The meanscores of visual attentions were significantly lower in children exposed toenvironmental Pb contamination compared to those who are not exposed (p =0.008). These findings suggest that Pb is probably incriminated in the genesisof visual attention deficit.

【 授权许可】

CC BY