People with the greatest exposure to pollution of the air generated due to traffic are more likely to have high amounts of amyloid plaques in the brain, a fact that is linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in Neurologythe medical journal Journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
To carry out their study, the researchers analyzed the fine particles, PM2.5emitted by road traffic and which consist of polluting particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter suspended in the air.
The study, the authors highlight, does not categorically prove that air pollution causes more amyloid plaques in the brain, but it does show a clear relationship between both factors.
PM2.5 particles are emitted by the exhaust pipe of cars / Agencies
“These results add to other previous evidence that fine particles from the Air pollution from traffic affects the amount of amyloid plaque in the brain“said study author Anke Huels, from Emory University in Atlanta (USA).
Study in 224 people
To carry out their study, the researchers examined the brain tissue of 224 people who agreed to donate their brains upon death to advance dementia research. These people had died at an average age of 76 years.
Researchers looked at exposure to traffic-related air pollution depending on the location of the participant’s homes in the studio, at the time of his death.
Traffic-related PM2.5 concentrations are a major source of air pollution in urban areas such as metropolitan Atlanta, where most donors lived.
Traffic pollution influences the onset of Alzheimer’s / Agencies
The average exposure level in the year before death was 1.32 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) and 1.35 μg/m3 in the three years before death, according to measurements made.
The researchers then compared pollution exposure with measurements relating to signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain: amyloid plaques and tau tangles.
A clear correlation
They found that people with greater exposure to air pollution were more likely to have higher levels of amyloid plaques in the brain.
People with PM2.5 exposure greater than 1 µg/m3 in the year before death were almost twice as likely to have higher levels of plaques, while those with higher exposure in the three years before death they were 87% more likely to have higher levels of these plaques.
The researchers also looked at whether having the main genetic variant associated with Alzheimer’s disease, APOE e4, had any effect on the relationship between air pollution and signs of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.
Barcelona, in an episode of atmospheric pollution / Agencies
They discovered that the strongest relationship between air pollution and signs of Alzheimer’s was among those who did not have this genetic variant.
“This suggests that environmental factors such as air pollution could be a contributing factor to Alzheimer’s in patients in whom the disease cannot be explained by genetics,” Huels said.
A limitation of the study is that the researchers, to measure air pollution, only knew the location of the donors’ homes when they died, so it is possible that some of them had lived in other locations just before they died.
Additionally, the study involved primarily highly educated white people, so the results may not be representative of other populations, the authors caution.
Reference study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38382009/
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2024-03-04 10:14:51
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