Altered white matter microstructural integrity revealed by voxel-wise analysis of diffusion tensor imaging in welders with manganese exposure

▶ Chronic exposure of manganese to the human brain alters white matter integrity. ▶ SPM voxel-wise analysis of DTI metrics reveals a reduction of FA in the corpus callosum and frontal white matter in Mn-exposed welders. ▶ Marked increases of radial diffusivity in welders suggests that the microstructural changes caused by demyelination. ▶ Correlation with neurobehavioral performance shows that the microstructural abnormalities were associated with subtle motor and cognitive deficits in welders.