Neurocognitive
and Neurobehavioural Effects of long term Paternal Exposure
to Organic Solvants on teh Offspring
The
purpose of this study is to investigate the possible neurocognitive
and neurobehavioural consequences for children whose fathers
have been occupationally exposed to organic solvents for
an extended period of time prior to conceiving the child
in question.
It
is hypothesized that a long-term paternal exposure to
organic solvents may result in deficits in the areas of
cognition, temperament, and behavioural functioning of
the affected offspring.
The
study will use a controlled matched-pairs design to compare
120 affected children whose fathers have been assessed
for long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents
with 120 controls whose fathers have not been significantly
exposed to organic solvents. The experimental and control
groups will consist of children aged 4 to 19 years and
matched on the basis of significant demographic factors
such as socio-economic status (SES) aside from the experimental
variable. Children whose mothers have been occupationally
exposed to organic solvents prior to or during pregnancy
will be excluded from the study. Participants will be
divided into 5 age groups. All groups will be assessed
for their current level of neurocognitive and neurobehavioural
functioning using a variety of testing batteries including
the Draw A Person (DAP) test of nonverbal ability, Peabody
Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), Behavioral Assessment
System For Children (BASC), Wechsler Preschool and Primary
Scale of Intelligence Revised (WPPSI-R), Wechsler Intelligence
Scale for Children III (WISC-III), Comprehensive Test
of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Test Of Memory And
Learning (TOMAL), and Luria Nebraska battery of tests.
The results obtained from the ‘exposed’ age
groups will then be compared to the results obtained from
the respective control age groups by means of comparative
statistical analyses. A significant statistical difference
in the level of neurocognitive and neurobehavioural functioning
between the ‘exposed’ participants and the
‘unexposed’ controls would have wide implications
for our knowledge of the possible long-term consequences
of chronic exposure to organic solvents as well as the
precaution measures that should be taken to prevent possible
neurological damage to those exposed as well as their
children.
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© 2003 The Kids Clinic
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