Lead Exposure Linked to Faster Rate of Forgetting Among Children
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 -- Developmental lead (Pb) exposure is associated with an increased rate of forgetting among children, according to a study published online July 9 in Science Advances.
Katherine Svensson, Ph.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues examined the effect of prenatal and childhood Pb exposure on children's rate of forgetting using a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task among children aged 6 to 8 years. Blood Pb was measured during pregnancy and at age 4 to 6 years. Using separate models for prenatal and childhood Pb, a nonlinear modified power function was used to predict the forgetting rates on the DMTS task.
The researchers observed an association for higher childhood Pb (median, 1.7 µg/dL) with a faster rate of forgetting (β = −0.05). Significant associations were seen for higher maternal IQ and child's age with a slower rate of forgetting.
"From a public health perspective, the results highlight the importance of interventions to reduce children's Pb exposure," the authors write. "The reduction of environmental exposures to Pb, such as Pb-based paint in homes, Pb pipes, and Pb in foods such as spices, is still of continued importance as even low levels of Pb can have detrimental effects on children’s cognitive function and development."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2025
Read this next
Average Time to Diagnosis Is 3.5 Years Across All Types of Dementia
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- The mean time to diagnosis (TTD) for dementia is 3.5 years across all types of dementia, according to a review published online July 27 in the...
Intranasal Administration of PET Radiotracer Delivers Insulin to Multiple Brain Regions
THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 -- Intranasal administration of [68Ga]Ga-NOTA-insulin is safe and delivers insulin to multiple brain regions, according to a study published online July 23...
Lifestyle Interventions Improve Cognition for At-Risk Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, July 30, 2025 -- Lifestyle interventions improve cognition for older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia, with significant benefit seen for a structured...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.