A new study c
The team from Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf published this study in the journal Environmental Research, which suggested that air pollution from traffic fumes might lead to inflammation in the brain.
The research methodology involved measuring background levels of air pollution in those addresses close to busy roads that carried more than 10,000 cars a day. Almost 400 women aged between 68 and 79 also underwent a battery of tests to detect memory problems.
The study found that air pollution contains very fine particles that can pass through the lungs, cross the blood-brain barrier and get lodged in the brain, thus causing inflammation and decline in cognitive function, leading to dementia.
The research paper said: “These results indicate that chronic exposure to traffic-related PM may be involved in the development of mild cognitive impairment and since mild cognitive impairment is a transition state between normal ageing and dementia, more research should be conducted with these women.”
Lead author Ulrich Ranft wrote in the paper: “The results of the present study indicate that chronic exposure to traffic-related particulate matter may be involved in the development of mild cognitive impairment. As mild cognitive impairment is a transition state between normal ageing and dementia we intend to follow-up these women in order to explore the effect of exposure to fine particulate matter on the development of dementia, in particular Alzheimer’s disease.”
Written by Snigdha Taduri for Biomed-ME