We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
2024 United States Elections: Air Pollution, Neurodegeneration, Neuropsychiatric, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Who Cares?
AI summary Read the abstract
This commentary argues that air pollution, including industrial nanoplastics and combustion nanoparticles, should be a top concern for US voters because of strong links to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other brain diseases. The authors point out that even children and young adults are showing early brain changes associated with neurodegenerative diseases due to pollution exposure. The piece highlights nanoplastics as part of the airborne pollution mix that may contribute to rising rates of brain-related illnesses.
Air pollution exposures ought to be of significant interest for the United States (US) public as health issues will play a role in the 2024 elections. Citizens are not aware of the harmful brain impact of exposures to ubiquitous anthropogenic combustion emissions and friction-derived nanoparticles, industrial nanoplastics, the growing risk of wildfires, and the smoke plumes of soot. Ample consideration of pediatric and early adulthood hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and associations with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in the process of setting, reviewing, and implementing standards for particulate matter (PM)2.5, ultrafine PM, and industrial nanoparticles must be of interest to US citizens.
More Papers Like This
Aging in a highly polluted world: challenges and solutions to prevent Alzheimer's disease
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together existing research showing that pollution—including air pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, and even microplastics—may contribute to Alzheimer's disease by damaging the brain over decades, sometimes starting as early as childhood in people who grow up in heavily polluted areas. This matters because it suggests some Alzheimer's risk isn't just genetic or age-related, but tied to environmental exposures we can potentially reduce through personal choices and public policy, making prevention possible earlier in life than previously thought.
Microplastics and Nanoplastics as Potential Contributors to Neurodegenerative Disease: Mechanistic Links to Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, Epilepsy, and Emerging Therapeutic Opportunities
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers review how microplastics and nanoplastics may reach the brain via inhalation and systemic routes, proposing that chronic neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and direct interactions with proteins like amyloid-β and α-synuclein could link particle exposure to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Neurotoxic effects of exposure to air pollutants
AI summary Read the abstract
This integrative literature review analyzed 20 studies (2020-2024) on how air pollutants including PM2.5, heavy metals, microplastics, and endocrine disruptors affect brain health and neurodevelopment. Evidence linked multiple air pollutants to neurological disorders, with microplastics emerging as a growing concern alongside established neurotoxicants.
Environmental neurotoxicants as accelerators of brain ageing: exposomic mechanisms linking pollution to amyloidogenesis and Alzheimer's disease.
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes existing research on how pollutants, including air pollution, heavy metals, pesticides, and micro- and nanoplastics, may enter the brain and contribute to processes linked to Alzheimer's disease, such as protein buildup and inflammation. The authors note that most evidence comes from lab and animal studies, with limited research so far in humans.
The role of microplastics exposure in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the mechanistic links between microplastic and nanoplastic exposure and the two most common neurodegenerative diseases — Alzheimer's and Parkinson's — finding evidence that oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, blood-brain barrier disruption, and protein aggregation are key pathways connecting plastic pollution to neurodegeneration.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.