Breathing in diesel fumes while sitting in traffic for just a few hours can impair brain function and cognition, a new study shows.
Traffic pollution has long been associated with memory problems, but long-term exposure was widely believed to pose the greatest risk.
Researchers in Canada found that the damage causes measurable changes in just two hours.
Air pollution not only affects neurological health, but also increases the risk of death from all causes.
Diesel exhaust caused neurological connectivity damage, specifically affecting a part of the brain called the default mode network, which plays a role in people’s internal thoughts and memories
In the new study, published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria exposed 25 people, ages 19 to 49, to 120 minutes of filtered and diesel exhaust at different times in a laboratory. polluted air.
During this time, subjects in the study rode a stationary bicycle for about 15 minutes with light exercise to increase inhalation.
All subjects underwent an MRI scan before and after each exposure to monitor brain activity at various stages.
They found that breathing diesel exhaust reduced functional connectivity, a measure of how parts of the brain interact and communicate with each other, compared to breathing filtered air.
Dr Chris Carlsten, a senior study author, said: “People might want to think twice next time they’re stuck in traffic with their windows down.”
“It’s important to make sure your car’s air filter is in good condition, and if you’re going to be walking or cycling on a busy street, consider taking a route less travelled.”
The researchers focused specifically on changes in the brain’s Default Mode Network (DMN), a set of regions in the brain that are more active during passive tasks than during tasks that require focused external attention.
Damage to the DMN affects several parts of the brain, including the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, inferior parietal lobe, lateral temporal cortex, and the developing hippocampus.
Activity in the DMN is highest when we are awake and not engaged in any specific mental exercise.
We can daydream, recall memories, imagine the future, monitor our surroundings, consider others’ intentions, and so on.
Dr Jodie Gawryluk, a psychologist at the University of Victoria and first author of the study, said: “We know that altered functional connectivity in the DMN is associated with reduced cognitive performance and symptoms of depression, so it is worrying to see that Traffic Pollution interrupts the same problems.” Network.’
“While more research is needed to fully understand the functional consequences of these changes, it is possible that they could affect people’s thinking or ability to work.”
99% of people breathe air that exceeds pollution limits
The World Health Organization warned last spring that 99 percent of people live in an area with unacceptable levels of pollution, mainly particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide.
Standard mode networking has a variety of features that can be hindered after you’ve been stuck in traffic for hours on your way to work. The DMN is a center for self-reflection and activity as we reflect on who we are, our personality traits, and our feelings.
The DMN plays a role in our memory of the past. Its functionality is crucial to our ability to preserve episodic memories, or detailed records of events that happened at specific moments in our lives.
The team’s findings offered a glimmer of hope: the neurological effects caused by exhaust fumes were short-lived. However, long-term exposure to the daily commute significantly increases health risks.
The study says: “Exposures in the real world tend to be more persistent, especially in regions of the world where levels like the ones we use are not uncommon.
“It is hypothesized that chronic exposure is actually a series of short-term exposures (of which our participants were exposed to only one) that ultimately lead to accumulated stress deficits in allostatic load…but whether this applies to environmental pollution in the neurocognitive domain, although hypothetical , requires further study.’
That exposure to diesel exhaust can damage the brain is not in itself a new finding. In 2008, Dutch researchers followed 10 volunteers who were attached to an electroencephalograph (EEG) and exposed for 30 minutes in a laboratory to air polluted with diesel exhaust set at levels typical of a busy city street.
At the time, researchers noticed that people’s brains displayed a stress response, an indication of altered information processing in the cerebral cortex, which continued to increase even after the subjects were removed from the fumes.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
