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Influence of Environmental Factors on Human Neurodevelopment
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This review pulls together a decade of research on how things like chemical exposures (including microplastics), pollution, infections, and stress can interfere with brain development—especially during pregnancy, infancy, and puberty, when the brain is growing fastest. These exposures can damage developing brain cells and raise the risk of lasting cognitive problems and mental health or neurodegenerative conditions later in life. The takeaway: protecting babies and kids from these environmental risks during key developmental windows could meaningfully lower rates of brain-related disorders down the road.
BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopment is a multistage process, which determines the formation of cognitive and emotional human potential and is critically sensitive to exogenous factors. This review summarizes data published in 2015–2025 period on the impact of four classes of environmental factors — chemical toxicants, physical stressors, biological agents and socio-behavioral determinants — on prenatal and early postnatal ‘vulnerability windows’ in brain development. Three complementary pathogenetic mechanisms have been identified that mediate the impact on neurons and their precursors: oxidative stress, epigenetic shifts, and apoptosis. A potentially new factor, microplastic, is highlighted. Promising preventive strategies that act at different levels of the nervous system are outlined. AIM: To systematize information on the influence of environmental factors on the development of the human nervous system published in the scientific literature for the period from 2015 to 2025, to substantiate the development of scientifically based preventive and therapeutic measures aimed at maintaining optimal neuroplasticity necessary to reduce the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. CONCLUSION: Exogenous chemical, physical, biological and social factors influence the neurodevelopment through epigenetic modifications, oxidative stress and apoptosis of neuronal cell precursors. These mechanisms disrupt cell proliferation, migration and integration. The most vulnerable periods are the second trimester of pregnancy, the first two years of life and puberty, with intense neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. Early exposure to combined factors leads to persistent alterations in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, decline of cognitive functions and increase in the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Managing these risks and implementing preventive measures to minimize their impact appears to be a reasonable approach capable of reducing the prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders in the population. The use of multi-omic biomarkers based on machine learning platforms offers promising opportunities for accurately predicting individual risks and implementing effective preventive measures.
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This overview pools findings from multiple studies on how plastics and their associated chemicals may affect brain development in children. Exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, plasticizers like BPA, and flame retardants has been linked to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD in early research, though more human studies are needed to confirm these connections.
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This review pulls together 20 animal studies looking at what happens when young mice and rats are exposed to tiny plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) during pregnancy, infancy, or adolescence. The results consistently showed brain inflammation, disrupted brain cell development, and behavior changes like memory problems, anxiety, and altered social behavior. While this research is in rodents, not humans, it raises real concerns about whether plastic pollution could affect brain development in babies and children, and highlights the need for more research to understand the risk to humans.
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This review summarizes evidence that micro and nanoplastics can harm the nervous system, causing developmental abnormalities, brain cell death, neurological inflammation, and potentially contributing to neurodegenerative diseases. Animal studies show that these tiny plastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue, where they trigger oxidative stress and disrupt normal brain function. While direct evidence in humans is still limited, the findings suggest that chronic microplastic exposure could be a risk factor for neurological health problems.
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This review examines how microplastics enter the human body and cross the blood-brain barrier, linking their presence in neural tissue to neurobehavioral disorders through mechanisms including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of neurotransmitter systems.
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This review synthesizes evidence that micro- and nanoplastics can reach the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier or traveling along nerve pathways, accumulating in regions critical for memory and thinking. Animal studies show that chronic exposure leads to cognitive problems, behavioral changes, and brain changes resembling neurodegenerative diseases, driven by oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of the gut-brain connection. The findings raise concern that long-term human exposure to nanoplastics through food and air could contribute to cognitive decline and neurological disease.
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