Corpus callosum volume in railroad workers with chronic exposure to solvents.

Objective: Changes to cognition and behavior have been reported after long-term exposure to solvents. Solvents are hypothesized to affect brain white matter. To test this, we examined the volume of the corpus callosum in workers with a history of exposure to solvents.

Methods: We manually traced (blind to group membership) the volume of the corpus callosum in 31 railroad workers and 31 matched controls.

Results: There was a decrease in the genu of the corpus callosum in the solvent-exposed workers compared with controls. A smaller volume of the genu of the corpus callosum was associated with greater exposure and worse performance on cognitive tasks.

Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that occupational exposure to solvents affects the anterior white matter of the brain and is related to extent of exposure and degree of cognitive change.