Biomaterial Database

Exposure to polybrominated biphenyls. Some effects on personality and cognitive functioning. 1979

G G Brown, and R Nixon

Twenty-one persons exposed to polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) were compared with hospital volunteers on a battery of tests measuring memory, motor strength and coordination, cortical-sensory perception, personality, and higher cognitive functioning. Patients exposed to PBB were selected for this study only if they had persistent medical complaints. The PBB adipose levels did not correlate with performance on any test in the battery. The two groups did differ on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, suggesting an adjustment reaction with depressive symptoms and somatizing defenses. Persons exposed to PBB were also impaired relative to control subjects on tests of prose recall, short-term memory, concentration, and cognitive flexibility. However these differences vanished when group differences on education and personality were statistically held constant. The selective admission criteria for this study limit the generalizability of these findings.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008570	Memory, Short-Term	Remembrance of information for a few seconds to hours.	Immediate Recall,Memory, Immediate,Working Memory,Memory, Shortterm,Immediate Memories,Immediate Memory,Immediate Recalls,Memories, Immediate,Memories, Short-Term,Memories, Shortterm,Memory, Short Term,Recall, Immediate,Recalls, Immediate,Short-Term Memories,Short-Term Memory,Shortterm Memories,Shortterm Memory,Working Memories
D008950	MMPI	A personality inventory consisting of statements to be asserted or denied by the individual. The patterns of response are characteristic of certain personality attributes.	Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
D009043	Motor Activity	Body movements of a human or an animal as a behavioral phenomenon.	Activities, Motor,Activity, Motor,Motor Activities
D010551	Personality	Behavior-response patterns that characterize the individual.	Personalities
D011075	Polybrominated Biphenyls	Biphenyl compounds which are extensively brominated. Many of these compounds are toxic environmental pollutants.	Polybromobiphenyl Compounds,Biphenyls, Polybrominated,Compounds, Polybromobiphenyl
D003071	Cognition	Intellectual or mental process whereby an organism obtains knowledge.	Cognitive Function,Cognitions,Cognitive Functions,Function, Cognitive,Functions, Cognitive
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D005260	Female		Females
D005506	Food Contamination	The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage.	Food Adulteration,Adulteration, Food,Adulterations, Food,Contamination, Food,Contaminations, Food,Food Adulterations,Food Contaminations