Effects of perinatal dioxin exposure on mirror neuron activity in 9-year-old children living in a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam.

Background: For 8 years, we have followed up a birth cohort comprising 241 mother-and-infant pairs living around the Da Nang airbase, a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam, and have reported the impacts of perinatal dioxin exposure on the neurodevelopment of children at various ages. In the present study, 9 years after birth, we investigated the effects of perinatal dioxin exposure on mu and theta rhythms by analyzing EEG power during the execution and observation of hand movements, which indicate mirror neuron system activity.

Methods: One hundred fifty-five 9-year-old children (86 boys and 69 girls) from the Da Nang birth cohort participated in the EEG examination with free viewing of hand movements.