Analysis of Manganese Accumulation in the Pituitary Gland and Hippocampus of Smelters Using High Resolution 3-D T1-Weighted MRI

摘要

Chronic exposure to excessive manganese (Mn) hasneurotoxic eff ects, which can lead to behavioral and motordefi cits. Overexposure to Mn may occur in the smeltingand welding industries, and previous studies have foundsignifi cant Mn accumulation in the basal ganglia of exposedpopulations using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).MRI can identify Mn accumulation in the brain because Mnacts as a contrast agent, increasing the signal in T1-weightedimages. This study investigates brain Mn accumulation in thepituitary gland and hippocampus.