Two USC researchers whose work linked air pollution to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease and faster cognitive decline are seeing signs that cleaner air can make a difference in brain health.
Two USC researchers whose work linked air pollution to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease and faster cognitive decline are seeing signs that cleaner air can make a difference in brain health.
Cars and factories produce a fine particulate known as PM2.5 that USC-led studies have linked to memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Smaller than the width of a human hair, these tiny particles pose a big problem. Once inhaled, they pass directly from the nose up and into the brain, beyond the blood-brain barrier that normally protects the brain from dust or other invaders.
In a research letter published today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the USC researchers described how their labs each independently reported indications of recent decreases in neurotoxicity (damage to the brain or nervous system caused by exposure to toxic substances) of PM2.5 air pollution in humans and mice.
University Professor Caleb Finch and Associate Professor Jennifer Ailshire, both with the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, focused on PM2.5 pollution. The small particulate is absorbed both by our lungs and blood. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to premature death, particularly in people with chronic heart or lung diseases.
Read more at: University of Southern California
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