Purpose

Exposure to ionizing radiation following environmental contamination (e.g., the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents), radiotherapy and diagnostics, occupational roles and space travel has been identified as a possible risk-factor for cognitive dysfunction. The deleterious effects of high doses (≥1.0 Gy) on cognitive functioning are fairly well-understood, while the consequences of low (≤0.1 Gy) and moderate doses (0.1–1.0 Gy) have been receiving more research interest over the past decade. In addition to any impact of actual exposure on cognitive functioning, the persistent psychological stress arising from perceived exposure, particularly following nuclear accidents, may itself impact cognitive functioning. In this review we offer a novel interdisciplinary stance on the cognitive impact of radiation exposure, considering psychological and epidemiological observations of different exposure scenarios such as atomic bombings, nuclear accidents, occupational and medical exposures while accounting for differences in dose, rate of exposure and exposure type. The purpose is to address the question that perceived radiation exposure - even where the actual absorbed dose is 0.0 Gy above background dose - can result in psychological stress, which could in turn lead to cognitive dysfunction. In addition, we highlight the interplay between the mechanisms of perceived exposure (i.e., stress) and actual exposure (i.e., radiation-induced cellular damage), in the generation of radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction. In all, we offer a comprehensive and objective review addressing the potential for cognitive defects in the context of low- and moderate-dose IR exposures.

Conclusions

Overall the evidence shows prenatal exposure to low and moderate doses to be detrimental to brain development and subsequent cognitive functioning, however the evidence for adolescent and adult low- and moderate-dose exposure remains uncertain. The persistent psychological stress following accidental exposure to low-doses in adulthood may pose a greater threat to our cognitive functioning. Indeed, the psychological implications for instructed cohorts (e.g., astronauts and radiotherapy patients) is less clear and warrants further investigation. Nonetheless, the psychosocial consequences of low- and moderate-dose exposure must be carefully considered when evaluating radiation effects on cognitive functioning, and to avoid unnecessary harm when planning public health response strategies.

中文翻译：

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（感知到）电离辐射暴露的心理后果：对其在辐射诱发的认知功能障碍中的作用的综述。

目的

环境污染（例如，切尔诺贝利核事故和福岛核事故），放射治疗和诊断，职业角色和太空旅行之后暴露于电离辐射已被确定为认知功能障碍的可能危险因素。在过去十年中，高剂量（≥1.0Gy）对认知功能的有害影响已被很好地理解，而低剂量（≤0.1Gy）和中等剂量（0.1–1.0 Gy）的后果受到了越来越多的研究兴趣。除了实际暴露对认知功能的任何影响外，由感知暴露引起的持续的心理压力，尤其是核事故之后，可能本身也会影响认知功能。在这篇评论中，我们针对辐射暴露的认知影响提供了一种新的跨学科立场，考虑到不同暴露场景（例如原子弹爆炸，核事故，职业和医疗暴露）的心理和流行病学观察，同时考虑剂量，暴露率和暴露类型的差异。目的是要解决这样一个问题，即即使实际吸收剂量比背景剂量高0.0 Gy，感知的辐射照射也会导致心理压力，进而导致认知功能障碍。另外，在辐射诱发的认知功能障碍的产生中，我们强调了感知的接触（即压力）和实际接触（即辐射引起的细胞损伤）之间的相互作用。在所有，

结论

总体而言，证据表明产前暴露于低剂量和中等剂量会损害大脑发育和随后的认知功能，但是青少年和成人低剂量和中等剂量的暴露证据仍然不确定。在成年后意外接触低剂量后持续存在的心理压力可能对我们的认知功能构成更大的威胁。确实，对受训人群（例如，宇航员和放射治疗患者）的心理影响尚不清楚，因此有待进一步研究。但是，在评估辐射对认知功能的影响时，必须谨慎考虑中低剂量暴露的社会心理后果，并在规划公共卫生应对策略时避免不必要的伤害。