Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T13:18:42.817Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Neuropsychological Testing in Interventional Cardiology Staff after Long-Term Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2015

Donatella Marazziti*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Francesco Tomaiuolo
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Branch, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy, and Auxilium Vitae Volterra, Volterra, Italy
Liliana Dell’Osso
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Virginia Demi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Serena Campana
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Emanuela Piccaluga
Affiliation:
Ospedale “L. Sacco”, Milano, Italy
Giulio Guagliumi
Affiliation:
Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Cardio-vascular Department, Bergamo, Italy
Ciro Conversano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Stefano Baroni
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, University of Pisa, Italy
Maria Grazia Andreassi
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR, Pisa, Italy
Eugenio Picano
Affiliation:
Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR, Pisa, Italy
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Donatella Marazziti, Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Via Roma, 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy. E-mail: dmarazzi@psico.med.unipi.it

Abstract

This study aimed at comparing neuropsychological test scores in 83 cardiologists and nurses (exposed group, EG) working in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and 83 control participants (non exposed group, nEG), to explore possible cognitive impairments. The neuropsychological assessment was carried out by means of a battery called “Esame Neuropsicologico Breve.” EG participants showed significantly lower scores on the delayed recall, visual short-term memory, and semantic lexical access ability than the nEG ones. No dose response could be detected. EG participants showed lower memory and verbal fluency performances, as compared with nEG. These reduced skills suggest alterations of some left hemisphere structures that are more exposed to IR in interventional cardiology staff. On the basis of these findings, therefore, head protection would be a mandatory good practice to reduce effects of head exposure to ionizing radiation among invasive cardiology personnel (and among other exposed professionals). (JINS, 2015, 21, 670–676)

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

D. Marazziti and F. Tomaiuolo contributed equally to this work.

References

Achanta, P., Fuss, M., & Martinez, J.L. Jr., (2009). Ionizing radiation impairs the formation of trace fear memories and reduces hippocampal neurogenesis. Behavioral Neuroscience, 123, 10361045.Google Scholar
Barletta-Rodolfi, C., Gasparini, F., & Ghidoni, E. (2011). Kit del Neuropsicologo Italiano. Milan, Italy: Dynamicom Edizioni.Google Scholar
Borghini, A., Gianicolo, E.A., Picano, E., & Andreassi, M. (2013). Ionizing radiation and atherosclerosis: Current knowledge and future challenges. Atherosclerosis, 230, 4047.Google Scholar
Caffarra, P., Vezzadini, G., Dieci, F., Zonato, F., & Venneri, A. (2004). Modified card sorting test: Normative data. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2, 246250.Google Scholar
Cipolotti, L., & Bird, C.M. (2006). Amnesia and the hippocampus. Current Opinion in Neurology, 19, 593598.Google Scholar
De Renzi, E., & Vignoli, L.A. (1962). The token test: A sensitive test to detect receptive disturbances in aphasics. Brain, 85, 665678.Google Scholar
Frisk, V., & Milner, B. (1990). The role of the left hippocampal region in the acquisition and retention of story content. Neuropsychologia, 28, 349359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Häusler, U., Czarwinski, R., & Brix, G. (2009). Radiation exposure of medical staff from interventional x-ray procedures: A multicentre study. European Radiology, 19, 20002008.Google Scholar
Henry, J.D., & Crawford, J.R. (2004). A meta-analytic review of verbal fluency performance following focal cortical lesions. Neuropsychology, 18, 284295.Google Scholar
Iaria, G., Chen, J.K., Guariglia, C., Ptito, A., & Petrides, M. (2007). Retrosplenial and hippocampal brain regions in human navigation: Complementary functional contributions to the formation and use of cognitive maps. European Journal of Neuroscience, 25, 890899.Google Scholar
Iaria, G., Petrides, M., Dagher, A., Pike, B., & Bohbot, V.D. (2003). Cognitive strategies dependent on the hippocampus and caudate nucleus in human navigation: Variability and change with practice. Journal of Neuroscience, 2, 59455952.Google Scholar
Karadag, B., Ikitimur, B., Durmaz, E., Avci, B.K., Cakmak, H.A., Cosansu, K., & Ongen, Z. (2013). Effectiveness of a lead cap in radiation protection of the head in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory. EuroIntervention, 9, 754756.Google Scholar
Kim, K.P., Miller, D.L., Balter, S., Kleinerman, R.A., Linet, M.S., Kwon, D., & Simon, S.L. (2008). Occupational radiation doses to operators performing cardiac catheterization procedures. Health Physics, 94, 211227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klein, L.W., Miller, D.L., Balter, S., Laskey, W., Haines, D., Norbash, A., Mauro, M. A., & Goldstein, J.A. (2009). Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: Time for a safer environment. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 20, S278S283.Google Scholar
Loganovsky, K., Havenaar, J.M., Tintle, N.L., Guey, L.T., Kotov, R., & Bromet, E.J. (2008). The mental health of clean-up workers 18 years after the Chernobyl accident. Psychological Medicine, 8(4), 481488.Google Scholar
Loganovsky, K., Perchuk, I., & Marazziti, D. (2015). Workers on the transformation of the shelter object of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant into an ecologically-safe system show qEEG abnormalities and cognitive dysfunctions. A follow-up study. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 23, 18.Google Scholar
Mammarella, I.C., Toso, C., Pazzaglia, F., & Cornoldi, C. (2008). BVS-Corsi. Batteria per la valutazione della memoria visiva e spaziale. Trento: Edizioni Erickson.Google Scholar
Marazziti, D., Baroni, S., Catena-Dell’Osso, M., Schiavi, E., Ceresoli, D., Conversano, C., Dell’Osso, L., & Picano, E. (2012). Cognitive, psychological and psychiatric effects of ionizing radiation exposure. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 19, 18641869.Google Scholar
Mettler, F.A., Thomadsen, B.R., Bhargavan, M., Gilley, D.B., Gray, J.E., Lipoti, J.A., & Mahesh, M. (2008). Medical radiation exposure in the US in 2006: Preliminary results. Health Physics, 95, 502507.Google Scholar
Mondini, S., Mapelli, D., Vestri, A., Arcara, G., & Bisiacchi, P.S. (2011). L’esame neuropsicologico breve. Milan, Italy: Raffaello Cortina Editore.Google Scholar
Nelson, H.E. (1976). A modified card sorting test sensitive to frontal lobe defects. Cortex, 12(4), 313324.Google Scholar
Nyberg, L. (2005). Any novelty in hippocampal formation and memory? Current Opinion in Neurology, 18(4), 424428.Google Scholar
Picano, E. (2004). Sustainability of medical imaging. BMJ, 328, 578580.Google Scholar
Picano, E., & Vañó, E. (2012). Radiation exposure as an occupational hazard. EuroIntervention, 8, 649653.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Picano, E., Vañó, E., Domenici, L., Bottai, M., & Thierry-Chef, I. (2012). Cancer and non-cancer brain and eye effects of chronic low-dose ionizing radiation exposure. BMC Cancer, 12, 157.Google Scholar
Picano, E., Vañó, E., Rehani, M.M., Cuocolo, A., Mont, L., Bodi, V., & Badano, L.P. (2014). The appropriate and justified use of medical radiation in cardiovascular imaging. A position document of the ESC associations of cardiovascular imaging, percutaneous cardiovascular interventions and electrophysiology. European Heart Journal, 35, 665672.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roguin, A., Goldstein, J.A., & Bar, O. (2012). Brain tumors among interventional cardiologists – a call for alarm? EuroIntervention, 7, 10811086.Google Scholar
Roguin, A., Goldstein, J., Bar, O., & Goldstein, J.A. (2013). Brain and neck tumors among physicians performing interventional procedures. American Journal of Cardiology, 111, 13681372.Google Scholar
Scali, M., Baroncelli, L., Cenni, M.C., Sale, A., & Maffei, L. (2012). A rich environmental experience reactivates visual cortex plasticity in aged rats. Experimental Gerontology, 47(4), 337341.Google Scholar
Scoville, W.B., & Milner, B. (1957). Loss of recent memory after bilateral hippocampal lesions. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 20, 1121.Google Scholar
Silasi, G., Diaz-Heijtz, R., Besplug, J., Rodriguez-Juarez, R., Titov, V., Kolb, B., & Kovalchuk, O. (2004). Selective brain responses to acute and chronic lowdose X-ray irradiation in males and females. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 325, 12231235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spinnler, H., & Tognoni, G. (1987). Standardizzazione e taratura italiana di test neuropsicologici. Italian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 6(Suppl. 8), 3453.Google Scholar
Tofilon, P.J., & Fike, J.R. (2000). The radioresponse of the central nervous system: A dynamic process. Radiation Research, 153, 357370.Google Scholar
Tonacci, A., Baldus, G., Corda, D., Piccaluga, E., Andreassi, M., Cremonesi, A., Guagliumi, G., & Picano, E. (2014). Olfactory non-cancer effects of exposure to ionizing radiation in staff working in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. International Journal of Cardiology, 15, 461463.Google Scholar
Vañó, E., Gonzalez, L., Fernandez, J.M., Alfonso, F., & Macaya, C. (2006). Occupational radiation doses in interventional cardiology: A 15-year follow-up. British Journal of Radiology, 79, 383388.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vañó, E., González, L., Guibelalde, E., Fernandez, J.M., & Ten, J.I. (1998). Radiation exposure to medical staff in interventional and cardiac radiology. British Journal of Radiology, 71, 954960.Google Scholar
Warrington, J.P., Ashpole, N., Csiszar, A., Lee, Y.W., Ungvari, Z., & Sonntag, W.E. (2013). Whole brain radiation-induced vascular cognitive impairment: Mechanisms and implications. Journal of Vascular Research, 50, 445457.Google Scholar
Willment, K.C., & Golby, A. (2013). Hemispheric lateralization interrupted: Material-specific memory deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 546551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed