A discriminant analysis of neuropsychological effect of low lead exposure

The purpose of this study is to determine the contribution of psychological tests in discriminating neuropsychological effects of low lead exposure. The sample consists of 49 workers occupationally exposed to lead and a control group of 36 non-exposed workers. Their performance on various neuropsychological measures was subject to a discriminant analysis using the SPSS DISCRIMINANT subprogramme. The results indicate that simple reaction time, Digit Symbol (WAIS) and Trail-Making Test (Part A) provide the best combination of tests for the detection of neurotoxic effect of low lead exposure.