# Novel Techniques for Assessing Manganese Exposure and Children's Neurodevelopment

> **NIH NIH F31** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2020 · $29,520

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Evidence for environmental manganese (Mn) as a neurodevelopmental toxicant is mounting; yet knowledge
about Mn susceptibility remains limited and findings are inconsistent across studies. Our study aims to help
clarify childhood environmental Mn neurotoxicity by understanding which domains are most sensitive to Mn
exposure across childhood, and by identifying subgroups who are more susceptible to Mn-toxicity by
investigating exposure timing, sex differences and interactive and joint effects of multiple metals. The proposed
epidemiologic study will use previously measured data from the Public Health Impact of Mixed element
Exposure (PHIME) study, comprised of 720 children (ages 10-14 years) with varied airborne exposure to ferro-
manganese industry in Italy. Under the mentorship of a multidisciplinary team of experts in environmental
epidemiology, neurobehavioral toxicology, exposure biology and mixtures, Julia Bauer (PI) proposes the
following aims: 1) identify patterns of Mn-associated neurobehavioral decrements by estimating associations of
Mn exposures in early life (measured in deciduous teeth) and adolescence (measured in hair and blood) and
multiple Mn-sensitive domain-specific and global neurobehavioral tasks; 2) describe susceptibility factors of Mn
neurotoxicity by estimating a) sex-specific associations of Mn in early life and adolescence, with performance
on complex visuospatial abilities (measured by the Virtual Radial Arm Maze) as well as on full-scale IQ
measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; and b) interactive and joint effects of multiple metals
(Mn, Pb, Fe, Cu, Cr) on full-scale IQ. This research will inform the current understanding of Mn effects on
children's neurobehavior. It also targets several NIEHS strategic goals: use of technologically advanced
exposure data, understanding individual susceptibility across childhood, and accounting for mixture scenarios.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9829974
- **Project number:** 5F31ES029010-03
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Julia Anglen Bauer
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $29,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-01-01 → 2020-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9829974

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9829974, Novel Techniques for Assessing Manganese Exposure and Children's Neurodevelopment (5F31ES029010-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9829974. Licensed CC0.

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