Air pollution, a rising environmental risk factor for cognition, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration: The clinical impact on children and beyond

Abstract

Air pollution (indoor and outdoor air) is a major issue in public health as epidemiological studies haven pointed to the numerous detrimental health consequences (notably, respiratory and cardiovascular pathology). In the last fifteen years, air pollution has also been considered as a potent environmental risk factor for neurological diseases and neuropathology. In this review, the authors examine the impact of air pollution on children's brain development and its clinical, cognitive, brain structural and metabolic consequences. Long-term potential consequences for adults' brain and effects on multiple sclerosis are also discussed. One challenge is assessing lifetime exposures to outdoor and indoor environments, including occupational exposures: how much, for how long and what type. The diffuse neuroinflammation, the damage to the neurovascular unit, and the production of auto-antibodies to neural and tight junction proteins are worrisome findings in children chronically exposed to concentrations above current standards for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and may constitute significant risk factors for the development of Article Outline

Effects of early postnatal exposure to fine particulate matter on emotional and cognitive development and structural synaptic plasticity in immature and mature rats

“…PM2.5 is currently a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, produced mainly by road traffic and industrial activities, and consists of diverse chemicals, including elemental carbon, minerals, metals, organic compounds, and biological compounds (Kim, Kabir, & Kabir, ). PM2.5 has been linked to elevated risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and reproductive function impairments (Calderón‐Garcidueñas, Leray, Heydarpour, Torres‐Jardón, & Reis, ; Sinharay et al, ; Xue & Zhu, ). Further, PM2.5 exposure during early life leads to developmental disorders.…”

Children exposure to PM2.5 in kindergarten classrooms equipped with air purifiers - a pilot study

“…Diffuse neuroinflammation, damage to the neuro-vascular unit, and the production of autoantibodies to neural and tight-junction proteins are worrisome findings in children chronically exposed to concentrations above the current standards for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), and may constitute significant risk factors for the development of Alzheimer's disease later in life. Early cognitive deficits are associated with prenatal and early postnatal air pollutant exposures, and brain structural, volumetric and metabolic changes have been described in adolescence and early adulthood with significant cognitive deficits that have negative impacts on the academic, job-related and social performances of affected individuals [2].…”

Parkinson's disease: Microglial/macrophage-induced immunoexcitotoxicity as a central mechanism of neurodegeneration

“…[44] These particles have been shown to be composed of both organic and inorganic compounds, such as sulfates, nitrates, carbon, and ammonium, and various toxic metals, including mercury, cadmium, lead, tin, aluminum, and fluoride. Of particular importance, it has been shown that humans are frequently exposed to LPS suspended in the air as fine particles as part of house dust and dust from biosolids—a treated sewage sludge used for landscaping that contains a considerable amount of organic material, including bacterial components.…”