Evidence of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and MND in the brains of adolescents exposed to dirty air-ScienceDaily

Previous studies have linked air pollution exposure of microparticles to Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers have also reported evidence of air pollution-derived nanoparticles in the frontal cortex of the brain.

However, after examining the brainstems of 186 young Mexico City residents between the ages of 11 months and 27, researchers, including Professor Barbara Maher of Lancaster University, found that not only Alzheimer’s disease, but also Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron disease. I also found a marker for (MND). )Also. Markers for these diseases were associated with the presence of small, unique nanoparticles in the brainstem-their appearance and composition indicate that they are likely to result from vehicle pollution.

As a result, researchers conclude that air pollution of this nature, whether inhaled or swallowed, puts people at risk of potential neurological harm. The brainstem is the posterior part of the brain that regulates the central nervous system, controls the heart and respiratory rate, and controls how one perceives body position and movement, such as the sense of balance.

Professor Maher said: “The brainstem of the young people in this study not only showed the” neuropathological features “of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and MND, but also contained high concentrations of iron, aluminum, and titanium-rich nanoparticles in the brainstem. It was. -Especially the substantia nigra, and the cerebellum.

“The iron- and aluminum-rich nanoparticles found in the brainstem are very similar to those produced by combustion and friction-derived particles from air pollution (from engines and braking systems).

“The titanium-rich particles in the brain were different-clearly needle-like in shape; similar particles were observed in nerve cells in the intestinal wall, after they were swallowed and moved from the intestine to the nerves. The cells that connect the brain stem to the digestive system, suggesting that they reach the brain. “

The “neuropathological features” also found in the youngest infant (11 months) included the growth of nerve cells, plaques and tangles formed by accidentally folded proteins in the brain. Substantia nigra damage is directly associated with the development of Parkinson’s disease in later years. Misfolding of proteins previously associated with MND is also apparent, suggesting common causative mechanisms and pathways for the formation, aggregation, and transmission of these abnormal proteins.

One thing common to all the young people surveyed in this study was exposure to high levels of particulate air pollution. Professor Maher said that the presence of damage to cells and their individual components, especially mitochondria (the key to energy production and signal transduction between cells), are associated with these metal-rich nanoparticles. It states that.

These metal-rich particles can also cause inflammation and also act as catalysts for the overformation of reactive oxygen species known to cause oxidative stress and ultimate neuronal death. Importantly, the age- and gender-matched control brainstems that lived in low-emission areas do not show the pathology of neurodegeneration found in young Mexican City residents.

These new discoveries are related to the metal-rich nanoparticles of pollution-derived particles reaching the brainstem by either inhalation or swallowing, and damage to key components of brainstem neurons, including the substantia nigra. is showing.

Even in these young Mexican City residents, the types of neurological damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and motor neuron disease are already apparent. These data indicate the potential for a pandemic of neurological disease in highly contaminated cities around the world as people experience longer life spans and develop full symptoms of early chronic neurological damage. I have.

Professor Barbara Meagher said: “It is important to understand the relationship between the nanoparticles that are breathing or swallowing and the effects of these metal-rich particles on different areas of the brain.

“Various people have different levels of vulnerability to exposure to such particulate matter, but our new discovery is the air pollutants you are exposed to, which you inhale. It shows that what is swallowed is really important for the development of neurological damage.

“With this in mind, managing air pollution nanoparticle sources is important and urgent.”