Association of Outdoor Ambient Fine Particulate Matter With Intracellular White Matter Microstructural Properties Among Children

Burnor, Elisabeth; Cserbik, Dora; Cotter, Devyn; Palmer, Clare E.; Ahmadi, Hedyeh; Eckel, Sandrah P.; Berhane, Kiros; McConnell, Rob; Chen, Jiu‐Chiuan; Schwartz, Joel; Jackson, Raymond; Herting, Megan M.

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.38300

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…Air pollution then may influence ongoing brain development and plasticity across adolescence, as regions and networks associated with mental health conditions and psychopathology (e.g., hippocampus, amygdala, default mode network, frontoparietal network, and salience network) (Menon, 2011(Menon, , 2013 undergo protracted development. In fact, a number of MRI studies suggest that exposure to ambient air pollution is linked to differences in brain macro-and microarchitecture (Binter et al, 2022;Burnor et al, 2021;Essers et al, 2023;Guxens et al, 2018Guxens et al, , 2022Herting et al, 2019;Lubczyńska et al, 2021;Pérez-Crespo et al, 2022;Sukumaran et al, 2023). Thus, it is feasible that these differences may be early neural biomarkers of PM 2.5 exposure-related risk prior to any overt changes in behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S.

Campbell

Cotter

Bottenhorn

et al. 2023

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Recent studies have linked air pollution to increased risk for behavioral problems during development, albeit with inconsistent findings. Additional longitudinal studies are needed that consider how emotional behaviors may be affected when exposure coincides with the transition to adolescence, a vulnerable time for developing mental health difficulties. This study examines how annual average PM2.5 and NO2 exposure at ages 9 to 10 years relates to internalizing and externalizing behaviors over a 2 year follow up period in a large, nationwide U.S. sample of participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Air pollution exposure was estimated based on the residential address of each participant using an ensemble-based modeling approach. Caregivers answered questions from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at baseline and annually for two follow up sessions for a total of 3 waves of data; from the CBCL we obtained scores on internalizing and externalizing problems plus 5 syndrome scales (anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, rule-breaking behavior, aggressive behavior, and attention problems). Zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to examine both the main effect of age as well as the interaction of age with each pollutant on behavior while adjusting for various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Overall, the pollution effects moderated the main effects of age with higher levels of PM2.5 and NO2 leading to an even greater likelihood of having no behavioral problems (i.e., score of zero) with age over time, as well as fewer problems when problems are present as the child ages. Albeit this was on the order equal to or less than a 1 point change. Thus, one year of annual exposure at 9 to 10 years is linked with very small change in emotional behaviors in early adolescence, which may be of little clinical relevance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S.

Campbell

Cotter

Bottenhorn

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Crucially, many of these potential proximal mechanisms, whether through neighborhoods or households, are filtered through structural forces such as occupation, market, allocation of government resources, etc., and thus their management should be considered in terms of broad social policy. Further research is warranted to characterize the specific impact of these factors, together with other unexplored ones such as crime and pollution exposure 7,8,38 , on brain development.…”

Section: Discussion (1167 Words)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it remains unknown how neighborhood and household SES relate to water diffusion within image voxels, thus modeling for greater tissue complexity [34][35][36][37] . Specifically, white matter microstructure was assessed using restricted normalized directional (RSI-RND), which models cylindrical intracellular water diffusion and purportedly reflects oriented axons/dendrites; and restricted normalized isotropic (RSI-RNI), which models spherical intracellular water diffusion and purportedly reflects glial/neuronal cell bodies [36][37][38][39][40] (see Figure 1, adapted from Burnor et al (2021), JAMA Netw Open). Given that socioeconomic deprivation has been linked to impaired myelination and heightened microglial activity 6,20 , we expected lower SES to be associated with decreased white matter RSI-RND and increased RSI-RNI.…”

Section: Introduction (737 Words)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in children: indirect effects via obesity and cognition

Cai

Taylor

et al. 2023

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Importance Both neighborhood and household socioeconomic disadvantage relate to negative health outcomes and altered brain structure in children. It is unclear whether such findings extend to white matter development, and via what mechanisms socioeconomic status (SES) influences the brain. Objective To test independent associations between neighborhood and household SES indicators and white matter microstructure in children, and examine whether body mass index and cognitive function (a proxy of environmental cognitive/sensory stimulation) may plausibly mediate these associations. Design This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing 10-year cohort study tracking child health. Setting School-based recruitment at 21 U.S. sites. Participants Children aged 9 to 11 years and their parents/caregivers completed baseline assessments between October 1st, 2016 and October 31st, 2018. Data analysis was conducted from July to December 2022. Exposures Neighborhood disadvantage was derived from area deprivation indices at primary residence. Household SES indicators were total income and the highest parental education attainment. Main Outcomes and Measures Thirty-one major white matter tracts were segmented from diffusion-weighted images. The Restriction Spectrum Imaging (RSI) model was implemented to measure restricted normalized directional (RND; reflecting oriented myelin organization) and isotropic (RNI; reflecting glial/neuronal cell bodies) diffusion in each tract. Obesity-related measures were body mass index (BMI), BMI z-scores, and waist circumference, and cognitive performance was assessed using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Linear mixed-effects models tested the associations between SES indicators and scanner-harmonized RSI metrics. Structural equation models examined indirect effects of obesity and cognitive performance in the significant associations between SES and white mater microstructure summary principal components. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, pubertal development stage, intracranial volume, and head motion. Results The analytical sample included 8842 children (4299 [48.6%] girls; mean age [SD], 9.9 [0.7] years). Greater neighborhood disadvantage and lower parental education were independently associated with lower RSI-RND in forceps major and corticospinal/pyramidal tracts, and had overlapping associations in the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Lower cognition scores and greater obesity-related measures partially accounted for these SES associations with RSI-RND. Lower household income was related to higher RSI-RNI in almost every tract, and greater neighborhood disadvantage had similar effects in primarily frontolimbic tracts. Lower parental education was uniquely linked to higher RSI-RNI in forceps major. Greater obesity-related measures partially accounted for these SES associations with RSI-RNI. Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses and mostly corroborated using traditional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Conclusions and Relevance These cross-sectional results demonstrate that both neighborhood and household contexts are relevant to white matter development in children, and suggest cognitive performance and obesity as possible pathways of influence. Interventions targeting obesity reduction and improving cognition from multiple socioeconomic angles may ameliorate brain health in low-SES children.

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“…We used the restriction spectrum imaging (RSI) technique, which distinguishes restricted (intracellular) from hindered (extracellular) water diffusion, thus modeling different tissue compartments. 31,32 We focused on RSI restricted normalized directional (RSI-RND) diffusion, which purportedly reflects oriented axons and dendrites, and RSI restricted normalized isotropic (RSI-RNI) diffusion, which purportedly reflects glial and neuronal cell bodies [32][33][34][35] (Figure 1). First, given that material deprivation has been associated with reduced myelination and elevated microglial activity, 17,36 we hypothesized that lower SES would be associated with lower RSI-RND and greater RSI-RNI.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations Between Socioeconomic Status, Obesity, Cognition, and White Matter Microstructure in Children

Cai

Taylor

et al. 2023

JAMA Netw Open

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ImportanceLower neighborhood and household socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with negative health outcomes and altered brain structure in children. It is unclear whether such findings extend to white matter and via what mechanisms.ObjectiveTo assess whether and how neighborhood and household SES are independently associated with children’s white matter microstructure and examine whether obesity and cognitive performance (reflecting environmental cognitive and sensory stimulation) are plausible mediators.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study used baseline data from participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Data were collected at 21 US sites, and school-based recruitment was used to represent the US population. Children aged 9 to 11 years and their parents or caregivers completed assessments between October 1, 2016, and October 31, 2018. After exclusions, 8842 of 11 875 children in the ABCD study were included in the analyses. Data analysis was conducted from July 11 to December 19, 2022.ExposuresNeighborhood disadvantage was derived from area deprivation indices at participants’ primary residence. Household SES factors were total income and highest parental educational attainment.Main Outcomes and MeasuresA restriction spectrum imaging (RSI) model was used to quantify restricted normalized directional (RND; reflecting oriented myelin organization) and restricted normalized isotropic (RNI; reflecting glial and neuronal cell bodies) diffusion in 31 major white matter tracts. The RSI measurements were scanner harmonized. Obesity was assessed through body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), age- and sex-adjusted BMI z scores, and waist circumference, and cognition was assessed through the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, pubertal development stage, intracranial volume, mean head motion, and twin or siblingship.ResultsAmong 8842 children, 4543 (51.4%) were boys, and the mean (SD) age was 9.9 (0.7) years. Linear mixed-effects models revealed that greater neighborhood disadvantage was associated with lower RSI-RND in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (β = −0.055; 95% CI, −0.081 to −0.028) and forceps major (β = −0.040; 95% CI, −0.067 to −0.013). Lower parental educational attainment was associated with lower RSI-RND in the bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus (eg, right hemisphere: β = 0.053; 95% CI, 0.025-0.080) and bilateral corticospinal or pyramidal tract (eg, right hemisphere: β = 0.042; 95% CI, 0.015-0.069). Structural equation models revealed that lower cognitive performance (eg, lower total cognition score and higher neighborhood disadvantage: β = −0.012; 95% CI, −0.016 to −0.009) and greater obesity (eg, higher BMI and higher neighborhood disadvantage: β = −0.004; 95% CI, −0.006 to −0.001) partially accounted for the associations between SES and RSI-RND. Lower household income was associated with higher RSI-RNI in most tracts (eg, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus: β = −0.042 [95% CI, −0.073 to −0.012]; right anterior thalamic radiations: β = −0.045 [95% CI, −0.075 to −0.014]), and greater neighborhood disadvantage had similar associations in primarily frontolimbic tracts (eg, right fornix: β = 0.046 [95% CI, 0.019-0.074]; right anterior thalamic radiations: β = 0.045 [95% CI, 0.018-0.072]). Lower parental educational attainment was associated with higher RSI-RNI in the forceps major (β = −0.048; 95% CI, −0.077 to −0.020). Greater obesity partially accounted for these SES associations with RSI-RNI (eg, higher BMI and higher neighborhood disadvantage: β = 0.015; 95% CI, 0.011-0.020). Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses and were corroborated using diffusion tensor imaging.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study, both neighborhood and household contexts were associated with white matter development in children, and findings suggested that obesity and cognitive performance were possible mediators in these associations. Future research on children’s brain health may benefit from considering these factors from multiple socioeconomic perspectives.

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Association of Outdoor Ambient Fine Particulate Matter With Intracellular White Matter Microstructural Properties Among Children

Cited by 22 publications

References 57 publications

Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S.

Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S.

Associations between socioeconomic status and white matter microstructure in children: indirect effects via obesity and cognition

Associations Between Socioeconomic Status, Obesity, Cognition, and White Matter Microstructure in Children

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