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White matter hyperintensities and microplastics
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Researchers aligned ante-mortem and post-mortem brain MRI scans and found large amounts of plastic particles in brain regions showing white matter hyperintensities, which are associated with small vessel disease. Using a novel optical imaging approach, they identified the cellular locations of these plastics in areas with vascular injury and amyloid plaques. The study raises important questions about whether microplastics in the brain contribute to or result from pre-existing vascular damage in people with cognitive impairment.
ABSTRACT Synopsis White matter hyperintensities are abnormalities that appear in MRI scans of living patients but are not apparent in MRI post-mortem. Goal Our goal is to understand the cellular/biological basis of white matter hyperintensities (WMH). Approach We aligned post-mortem MR scans with those collected ante-mortem and performed histopathology and pyrGC/MS for plastics on regions with WMH. Result PyrGC/MS detected large amounts of plastics and we determined their cellular locations with a novel optical imaging approach in regions with small vessel disease and Abeta plaques. Impact Microplastics in the brains of people with cognitive impairment may be due to pre-existing vascular injury or contribute to it. Many questions remain: Where do they come from, do they impair function? Can they be diagnosed by MRI ante-mortem?
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White mater hyperintensities and microplastics
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Using post-mortem MRI aligned with antemortem scans and pyrolysis GC/MS, researchers found large amounts of plastics in brain regions corresponding to white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and identified the cellular location of plastic particles using novel optical imaging. The findings suggest a potential link between microplastic accumulation in the brain and MRI-detectable white matter abnormalities.
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Researchers propose a pathology classification framework for vascular causes of cognitive impairment and highlight the recent discovery of micro/nanoplastics in human brain tissue as a factor that may reshape understanding of vascular dementia by linking plastic accumulation to cerebrovascular damage.
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Scientists found tiny plastic particles clinging to blood vessel walls in human brain tissue, using chemical tests and special imaging that makes plastics glow under laser light. These particles were found near unusual deposits in brain tissue, suggesting plastics may build up in blood vessels there. It's still unknown if this causes harm, but the finding raises new questions about how microplastics might affect brain health.
Microplastics detection in freshly harvested human brain tissues of northeast Chinese postmortem donors and their correlation with Alzheimer's disease-related pathological proteins.
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Researchers examined brain tissue from 16 deceased donors in northeast China and found microplastics, including polyethylene, PVC, polystyrene and polypropylene, in all samples. Higher levels of two plastic types were linked to higher amounts of a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease, though this does not prove the plastics caused the protein changes.
A novel risk factor for dementia: chronic microplastic exposure
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This review examines emerging evidence that chronic microplastic exposure may be a previously overlooked risk factor for dementia. Microplastics can cross the blood-brain barrier and may promote brain damage through oxidative stress, inflammation, and by accelerating the buildup of amyloid plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease, with studies finding higher microplastic levels in the brains of dementia patients compared to controls.
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