Cognitive, Immunological, and Neurophysiological Consequences of Home Radon Exposure in Children and Adolescents
The overarching goal of the current study is to better understand the impact of home radon exposure on structural and functional brain development in children and adolescents. Radon is a naturally-occurring, carcinogenic gas that exists in persistently high concentrations within homes in the local area (eastern Nebraska and western Iowa). Chronic radon exposure is known to increase inflammation throughout the body, including increases in cytokines implicated in neuroinflammation. However, little is known about the degree to which this radon exposure and resultant inflammation may be impacting brain and cognitive development in youths. Herein, we will address this critical gap in knowledge and explore how a common environmental toxin impacts trajectories of neurocognitive development in a multimodal neuroimaging study.
Specific Aims
- (Aim 1) Identify the impact of home radon exposure on the neural oscillatory dynamics serving specific aspects of attentional processing in developing youth.
- (Aim 2) Determine aspects of structural brain development that are most critically impacted by radon exposure.
- (Aim 3) Quantify the degree to which neuroimflammation mediates the relationship between home radon exposure and neurocognitive aberrations.
Study Sample Population
112 typically developing youths ages 8 to 15 years-old (50% female)
Impact
The current study will shed light on the potential for harm on child and adolescent development by an extremely common, but unfortunately under-studied environmental toxin. The outcomes of this study have the potential to shape the future of public health policy surrounding radon awareness and mitigation efforts, and this is especially true in the surrounding region where home radon levels are some of the highest in the nation.
