Childhood air pollution exposure may hinder brain development: study

Early exposure to air pollution may disrupt critical brain development processes in children.

According to a new study published in Environment International, researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution during early and mid-childhood exhibited weaker connectivity between essential brain regions, potentially affecting cognitive and emotional functions.

The study examined data from 3,626 children, assessing their exposure to various pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in their residential environments.

The researchers discovered that heightened exposure to these pollutants from birth to age three was linked to reduced connectivity between the amygdala - a region crucial for processing emotions - and cortical networks responsible for attention, motor coordination, and auditory functions.

Moreover, increased exposure to PM10 particles in the year preceding neuroimaging assessments was associated with diminished connectivity between the salience and medial-parietal networks. These networks are essential for detecting environmental stimuli, introspection, and self-awareness.

According to Monica Guxens, ICREA researcher at ISGlobal, these disruptions may persist throughout adolescence, potentially impacting emotional processing and cognitive abilities. “These associations persist throughout adolescence, which may indicate persistent disruptions in the normal development of brain networks due to pollution exposure,” Guxens stated.