Living in a polluted city? Your brain's white matter may get affected | Health - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Living in a polluted city? Your brain's white matter may get affected

IANS | By, New York
Jun 16, 2015 12:58 PM IST

Long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to loss of white matter in the brain, a research has found.

Long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to loss of white matter in the brain, a research has found.

White matter in the brain is made of axon cells, which enable the nerves to communicate.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

In a new study, older women who lived in places with higher air pollution had significantly reduced white matter in the brain.

"Investigating the impact of air pollution on the human brain is a new area of environmental neurosciences," said lead author of the study Jiu-Chiuan Chen from Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California in the US.

"Our study provides the convincing evidence that several parts of the ageing brain, especially the white matter, are an important target of neurotoxic effects induced by long-term exposure to fine particles in the ambient air."

For the study, the researchers took brain scans of 1403 women who were 71 to 89 years old and used residential histories and air monitoring data to estimate their exposure to air pollution in the previous six to seven years.

The results suggest that ambient particulate air pollutants may have a deleterious effect on brain ageing.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Oscars 2024: From Nominees to Red Carpet Glam! Get Exclusive Coverage on HT. Click Here

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On