We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
What is the relationship between exposure to environmental pollutants and severe mental disorders? A systematic review on shared biological pathways
Summary
Researchers conducted a systematic review of 47 studies examining how environmental pollutants like air particulates affect mental health, finding that exposure increases the risk of depression and psychosis through inflammation, oxidative stress, and disruption of stress hormone systems in the brain. The findings support a "one health" framework linking environmental pollution to rising rates of severe mental disorders.
Severe mental disorders are multi-dimensional constructs, resulting from the interaction of genetic, biological, psychosocial, and environmental factors. Among the latter, pollution and climate change are frequently being considered in the etiopathogenesis of severe mental disorders. This systematic review aims to investigate the biological mechanisms behind the relationship between environmental pollutants, climate change, and mental disorders. An extensive literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, and APA PsycInfo databases according to the PRISMA guidelines. Articles were considered eligible if they involved humans or animals examining the association between exposure to environmental pollutants and if the resulting biological mechanisms that may have an impact on mental health and may support or even cause severe mental disorders (SMD) are assessed. For this reason, only studies dealing with biomarkers or biological pathways were taken into account. The 47 papers included in the review were divided into two groups: those conducted on human participants (15 studies) and those utilizing animal models (31 studies); one study included both humans and animals. Studies carried out with humans, which are mainly focused on measuring the impact of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) exposure on mental health, showed an increased risk of depression or psychotic relapses through the inflammation and oxidative stress pathways, or through the alteration of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Animal models showed the potential impact of pollution on brain functioning through increased inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, HPA axis disruption, hippocampal damage, and neurotransmitters dysregulation. Our findings show that environmental pollutants have an impact on human mental health through different biological pathways. The biological mechanisms by which environmental pollution and climate change influence the onset and exacerbation of severe mental disorders are complex and include gene expression, inflammation, oxidative stress, and anatomical brain changes. A better understanding of those pathways is important for the progress of knowledge on the pathophysiology of severe mental disorders according to the one health model, that promotes a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach across various levels to optimize health outcomes by recognizing the interconnectedness of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
From air to mind: unraveling the impact of indoor pollutants on psychiatric disorders
This review examines evidence linking indoor airborne pollutants, including volatile organic compounds and other anthropogenic chemicals, to the development or worsening of psychiatric disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Researchers synthesized findings from genetics, neuropathology, and neuroimaging studies to explore the mechanisms by which these pollutants affect brain function. The study highlights that indoor air quality, including exposure to chemicals released from synthetic materials, may have underappreciated effects on mental health.
Particulate Air Pollution and Risk of Neuropsychiatric Outcomes. What We Breathe, Swallow, and Put on Our Skin Matters
This review appraised evidence linking particulate air pollution to neuropsychiatric outcomes, examining how inhaled, ingested, and dermally absorbed particles including engineered nanoparticles damage the brain through multiple entry portals and inflammatory mechanisms.
Effects of Microplastics on Mental Health
This review examines the emerging evidence linking microplastic exposure to mental health outcomes, discussing proposed mechanisms including neuroinflammation, gut-brain axis disruption, and endocrine interference from plastic-associated chemicals. The authors call for dedicated human cohort studies to establish whether environmental microplastic levels contribute to psychiatric or cognitive conditions.
Molecular Mechanisms of Environmental Pollutants in Human Health for Unravelling the Pathophysiology of Chronic Diseases
This review examined the integrated molecular mechanisms by which environmental pollutants—including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, endocrine disruptors, and microplastics—contribute to chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative conditions. The authors found that multiple pollutant classes converge on oxidative stress, epigenetic modification, and inflammatory signaling as shared pathogenic pathways.
Facing stress and inflammation: From the cell to the planet.
This review examines stress and inflammation as interconnected biological responses at scales from the cell to the whole planet, tracing how environmental stressors including pollution drive inflammatory disease. The paper positions microplastic contamination and other anthropogenic pollutants as systemic stressors that may be contributing to rising rates of chronic inflammatory conditions.