BPA may harm brain function
Wed, September 10 2008
They also fear it could be a factor behind Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia and depression. BPA is globally used in making plastic water bottles, baby food bottles, food containers and dental prostheses.
In their study, the researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario found that BPA might be leaking into solid or liquid foods kept in plastic containers. When the container contents are consumed, they said, the chemical could get into the body, disrupting the communication between brain neurons which is vital in understanding and remembering.
Researcher Neil MacLusky said the chemical can impair the formation of synapses in the areas of the human brain linked to learning.
As part of the study, researchers fed African green monkeys foods containing low levels of BPA for a month. They found the chemical slowed the synapses in the monkeys’ brains.
MacLusky said this process was linked to the hormone estrogen.
“Estrogen enhances the rate at which some types of synapses are formed and is vital in maintaining normal neuronal structure in regions of the brain that control learning, memory and mood state,” he said.
-IANS
