Air pollution could worsen Alzheimer’s disease and dementia Symptoms, according to new research.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine have discovered that air pollution can accelerate the accumulation of toxic proteins in the brain and speed up cognitive decline.
This study, published in Jama Neurology, investigated how microparticles are related (PM2.5) Brain changes It can be seen in dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and severity of symptoms.
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The brains of 602 people were investigated after their deaths at Penn Medicine Brain Bank from 1999 to 2022. This data was analyzed from January to June 2025.
Participants include people with general dementia and motor disorders, and senior citizen No dementia.
Based on the address of their home, the researchers estimated how much air pollution each person was exposed to before death or the year before their last dementia assessment.
People exposed to Higher pollution We found that there are more advanced Alzheimer’s type of brain changes.
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Each increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 19% odds of suffering from more severe Alzheimer’s disease.
This study considered a small group of 287 people who had a dementia rating before death.
For this group, higher exposure of PM2.5 was associated with worse cognitive and functional decline, including memory loss, judgment impairment, and difficulties. Personal Care and a speech.
Researchers found that approximately 63% of the association between air pollution and dementia severity could be explained by Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes.
Edward Lee, MD, PhD, co-director of Penn’s Aging Institute commented on these findings in a press release of the study.
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“This study shows that air pollution not only increases the risk of dementia, but also actually exacerbates Alzheimer’s,” he said. “As researchers continue to search for new treatments, it is important to clarify all the factors that contribute to the disease. environment They live there. ”
Lee added that air pollution in the United States is at “the lowest level in decades,” but even in a year living in a significant area, he added that “it has a major impact on the risk of people developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study had several limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
The individuals studied were primarily white, highly educated and from “favourable areas.” This study also focused on Alzheimer’s disease and was not representative of other forms of dementia.
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This study may have also underestimated the effects of air pollution. Blood vessels in the brainthey pointed out.
This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences.
