NEUROPSYCHOLOGIE A NEUROTOXICITA PŘI DLOUHODOBÉM SLEDOVÁNÍ ÚČINKŮ DIOXINU.

Objectives: The paper summarizes neuropsychological monitoring of employees exposed to TCDD during mass industrial intoxication in years 1965 - 1968 in an herbicides producing factory. Sample and methods: About 350 persons were exposed, the signs of poisoning expressed themselves in about 80 workers. 13 men in the years 1996 and 2001, 14 men in 2004, and 10 men in 2008 were examined. 1. Basic cognitive performance (WAIS-R), 2. Memory, attention, executive functions (WMS, HRNB, WCST, and others), 3. Self-assessment of examined persons, and 4.Symptom validity (TOMM, Retest Consistency Index - RCI and the performance pattern in Digit span and Vocabulary subtests) were evaluated. Statistical analysis: Methods of descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation were used. Results: Even forty years after the intoxication, the level of TCDD in fat was still 100 times higher in the group of examined men than in the general population. During the whole period of monitoring, there was the evidence of neuropsychological impairment, first of all in the executive functions, in the examined group. Significant correlations of TCDD levels and neuropsychological achievements were found. Study limitation: The small scope of the sample limits the possibility of the generalization of results. Nevertheless, the results are in correspondence with a number of quoted publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]