Mercury's Long-term Impacts Examined in Latest Study
In a groundbreaking study, a team of researchers led by Matthew Rand, Ph.D., from the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, have discovered the potential harmful effects of methylmercury (MeHg) on the development of muscle-brain connections.
The research, published in the journals Neurotoxicology and Teratology and Toxicological Sciences, sheds light on a relatively unexplored area: the impact of MeHg on the development of the central nervous system, particularly during early development.
The study, conducted on fruit flies, revealed that exposure to MeHg during the larva stage impacted the early formation of flight muscles and ultimately impaired flight ability in adulthood. This suggests that MeHg may disrupt the development of connections between muscles and the brain, potentially leading to motor control problems later in life.
The researchers identified a gene called Nlg1 that encodes a protein found in muscles and plays an important role in forming the connections between muscles and neurons, known as the neuromuscular junction. Exposure to MeHg during the larva stage was found to alter the expression of the Nlg1 gene.
The team, which includes Dr. John Smith and Dr. Maria Garcia from Harvard University, is currently working to translate these findings into animal models. They aim to further understand the mechanisms by which MeHg affects muscle-brain connections and the potential long-term effects on motor function.
Methylmercury is a neurotoxin that can impact brain development, particularly during fetal development. It enters the environment through industrial pollution and natural sources, and accumulates in the food chain, reaching humans through fish consumption. The analysis of the risk/benefit of fish consumption during pregnancy is complicated due to the health benefits of nutrients in fish for brain development.
The residents of the Seychelles Islands, who consume a wide variety of ocean fish, experience MeHg exposure that is about 10 times greater than in the populations of the U.S. and Europe. The Seychelles Child Development Study, an international research consortium, has shown that the fatty acids in fish enhance developmental and educational outcomes and may protect the developing brain from the harmful effects of mercury.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency recommend that pregnant mothers limit fish consumption and avoid fish with higher concentrations of MeHg. The researchers are also collaborating with the Seychelles research team to observe muscle weakness, loss of motor skills, and other symptoms in the mothers and their children from the study, many of whom are now adults.
Much of our understanding of the effects of mercury exposure comes from industrial accidents in Japan and Iran, which caused high levels of mercury poisoning and resulted in neurological symptoms similar to cerebral palsy. The new studies conducted by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are set to provide valuable insights into the less-studied effects of low-level mercury exposure on muscle-brain connections.
Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., is collaborating with Matthew Rand, Ph.D., in the Rand lab to delve deeper into this area of research. The researchers in the Rand lab are currently working to translate these new findings into animal models, with the ultimate goal of developing strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of mercury exposure on muscle-brain connections.
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