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Methanol Poisoning as an Acute Toxicological Basal Ganglia Lesion Model: Evidence from Brain Volumetry and Cognition
Author(s) -
Mana Josef,
Vaneckova Manuela,
Klempíř Jiří,
Lišková Irena,
Brožová Hana,
Poláková Kamila,
Seidl Zdeněk,
Miovský Michal,
Pelclová Daniela,
Bukačová Kateřina,
Maréchal Bénédicte,
Kober Tobias,
Zakharov Sergey,
Růžička Evžen,
Bezdicek Ondrej
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.14077
Subject(s) - globus pallidus , methanol poisoning , putamen , basal ganglia , white matter , hyperintensity , psychology , stroop effect , medicine , neuroscience , cognition , magnetic resonance imaging , central nervous system , radiology , chemistry , organic chemistry , methanol
Background Acute methanol poisoning leads to optic neuropathy and necrotic lesions of basal ganglia (BG) and subcortical white matter. Survivors of methanol poisoning exhibit long‐term executive and memory deficits. Associations between brain volumetry parameters and cognitive sequelae of methanol poisoning are not known. The aim of our study was to identify long‐term associations between the cognitive performance of survivors of methanol poisoning and the volume of the brain structures that are selectively vulnerable to methanol. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional follow‐up study on a sample of patients ( n = 33, age 50 ± 14 years, 82% males) who survived acute methanol poisoning during methanol mass poisoning outbreak from September 2012 till January 2013 in the Czech Republic. A battery of neuropsychological tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging were included in the clinical examination protocol. Specific brain structures (putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus caudatus, and frontal white matter) were selected as regions of interest, and their volumes were estimated using the MorphoBox prototype software. Results In robust multiple regression models, sustained visual attention performance (as assessed by Trail Making Test and Prague Stroop Test) was positively associated with BG structures and frontal white matter volumes (Wald = 9.03 to 85.50, p < 0.01), sensitivity to interference (as assessed by Frontal Battery Assessment) was negatively associated with frontal white matter volume (Wald = 35.44 to 42.25, p < 0.001), and motor performance (as assessed by Finger Tapping Test) was positively associated with globus pallidus and frontal white matter volumes (Wald = 9.66 to 13.29, p < 0.01). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that smaller volumes of elements of BG–thalamocortical circuitry, namely the BG and frontal white matter, relate to attention and motor performance in methanol poisoning from a long‐term perspective. Disruption of those functional circuits may underlie specific cognitive deficits observed in methanol poisoning.