Air Pollution May Harm the Brain
I’ve recently noticed several studies related the effects of long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution on brain function and longevity. The research shows that air pollution may harm the brain and affect cognitive processes negatively.
One study looked at people over the age of 51 and found that those who lived in areas with a lot of air pollution had lower cognitive scores than people who had lived in unpolluted areas. The results were normed to take social status and education level into account. According to Melinda Power, one of the researchers involved in the study, “Traffic-related air pollution appears to cause inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain.” You can listen to Melinda Power speak more about the research on air pollution and cognition in this podcast.
In a second study, conducted at Ohio State University, the research team looked at the effect of pollution particulates in the brain of mice. They found that exposure to pollutants affected the hippocampus- the brain area responsible for learning and memory formation. The exposed mice’s hippocampi had less neuronal growth than those who were not exposed.
Furthermore, the London Telegraph reported last year that the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) had identified as many as 200,000 Britons were exposed to levels of pollution that appeared to shorten their lives significantly–by an average of about two years. The COMEAP study attributed this to the exacerbation of cardiovascular health problems that were likely hastened by the long-term pollution exposure.
This is a burgeoning field of study, and I’m looking forward to seeing additional research findings in this area. It will be interesting to see if in years to come we have people who identify as suffering from “pollution-related cognitive decline” who seek solutions for improving brain function.
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Posted: Neuroscience, Research studies
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November 11th, 2011 at 10:09 am
I guess, any type of pollution has its negative effect on our body. Thinking that it is your brain that will be affected, you really have to think about it seriously.
December 22nd, 2011 at 5:54 am
Dr. Sophia Vinogradov and colleagues discovered that training with Posit Science software beneficially increased low levels of brain-dereived neurotrophic factor (BDNF):
Biol Psychiatry. 2009 Sep 15;66(6):549-53.
Is serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor a biomarker for cognitive enhancement in schizophrenia?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19368899
Also noted in this review article:
Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2010;12(3):416-21.
Cognitive training in schizophrenia: a neuroscience-based approach.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181983/pdf/DialoguesClinNeurosci-12-416.pdf
(Full free text)
Earlier this year it was reported that air pollution seems to impair the expected increase in BDNF after exercise:
Neurosci Lett. 2011 Aug 15;500(2):129-32.
No exercise-induced increase in serum BDNF after cycling near a major traffic road.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21708224
The juxtaposition of these articles invites consideration of Posit Science programs in the rehabilitation of cognitive impairment triggered by immune system reactivity.
However, in some cases reactivity may continue long after an immunologial event — probably most often in individuals with a poorly modulated immune system.
IMO, the combination of Posit Science training and dietary supplementation with certain anti-inflammatory polyunsaturated lipids of the type descibed here:
Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Feb;87(2):498S-503S.
Mechanisms by which botanical lipids affect inflammatory disorders.
http://www.ajcn.org/content/87/2/498S.full.pdf+html
…may well yield a better clinical outcome for patients than either intervention by itself.
One difficulty with lipid supplementation of this type, however, is that significant decreases in inflammatory cytokine activity can take several months:
Clin Sci (Lond). 1994 Dec;87(6):711-7.
Modulation of cytokine production in vivo by dietary essential fatty acids in patients with colorectal cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7874864
It is unfortunate that important variables (like indices of immune system reactivity) that could materially affect the outcome of clinical trials are frequently not considered.