Effects of manganese exposure on olfactory functions in teenagers: A pilot study

Long-term exposure to environmental manganese (Mn) affects not only attention and neuromotor functions but also olfactory functions of a pre-adolescent local population who have spent their whole life span in contaminated areas. In order to investigate the effect of such exposure at the level of the central nervous system we set up a pilot fMRI experiment pointing at differences of brain activities between a non-exposed population (nine subjects) and an exposed one (three subjects). We also measured the volume of the olfactory bulb as well as the identification of standard olfactory stimuli. Our results suggest that young subjects exposed to Mn exhibit a reduction of BOLD signal, subjective odor sensitivity and olfactory bulb volume. Moreover a region of interest SPM analysis showed a specifically reduced response of the limbic system in relation to Mn exposure, suggesting an alteration of the brain network dealing with emotional responses.