Cognitive Deficit in 7-Year-Old Children w...

Cognitive Deficit in 7-Year-Old Children with Prenatal Exposure to Methylmercury
Authors:      Philippe Grandjean, et al.
Institute of Community Health, Odense University, Denmark
Journal:         Neurotoxicology and Teratology, November 1997
Summary:      Researchers followed over 900 mother/child pairs from the Faroe Islands, a region with diets high in pilot whale meat.  Clinical examination and neurophysical testing does not reveal any clear-cut mercury-related abnormalities.  However, mercury-related subclinical neuropsychological dysfunctions are most pronounced in the domains of language, attention, and memory, and to a lesser extent in visuospatial and motor functions.