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Cognitive Impairment Associated with Exposure to Toxigenic Fungi
Wayne A. Gordon1, Ph.D., Eckardt Johanning2, M.D.,M.Sc.
Lisa Haddad3, B.A.
1Professor, Department of Rehabilitation
Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; 2Eckardt Johanning, M.D., Adjunct
Instructor, Department of Community Medicine, Mount Sinai School of
Medicine; 3Lisa Haddad, B.A., Research Assistant, Department of
Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Research performed
at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Correspondence: Wayne A Gordon Ph.D.,
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1
Gustave L. Levy Place, Box #1240, New York, NY 10029-6574, telephone: (212)
241-7917, fax: (212) 348-5901
Abstract The
objective of the study was to examine whether cognitive impairment was
associated with exposure to Stachybotrys atra. 20 individuals were examined
using a standard neuropsychological battery and a symptom checklist. Results
indicate that all individuals seen meet at least 1 of the criteria for a
cognitive impairment, with 13 of the 20 (65%) meeting at least 3 of the
criteria for cognitive impairment. Preliminary findings suggest that
exposure to toxigenic molds are associated with cognitive impairment,
specifically deficits in verbal memory, verbal learning,
attention/concentration and set shifting. In addition to these cognitive
deficits, the sample reported a high number of cognitive, physical and
behavioral symptoms. Validation on a larger sample of individuals is
indicated. Key
words:
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