Małgorzata J Lubczyńska1, Ryan L Muetzel2, Hanan El Marroun3, Gerard Hoek4, Ingeborg M Kooter5, Errol M Thomson6, Manon Hillegers7, Meike W Vernooij8, Tonya White9, Henning Tiemeier10, Mònica Guxens11. 1. ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain. 2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 4. Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. 5. Department of Circular Economy & Environment, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, Utrecht, the Netherlands. 6. Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. 7. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 8. Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 9. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 10. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA. 11. ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: monica.guxens@isglobal.org.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the relationship between exposure to air pollution and brain development using magnetic resonance images are emerging. However, most studies have focused only on prenatal exposures, and have included a limited selection of pollutants. Here, we aim to expand the current knowledge by studying pregnancy and childhood exposure to a wide selection of pollutants, and brain morphology in preadolescents. METHODS: We used data from 3133 preadolescents from a birth cohort from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (enrollment: 2002-2006). Concentrations of nitrogen oxides, coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles, and composition of fine particles were estimated for participant's home addresses in pregnancy and childhood, using land use regression models. Structural brain images were obtained at age 9-12 years. We assessed the relationships of air pollution exposure, with brain volumes, and surface-based morphometric data, adjusting for socioeconomic and life-style characteristics, using single as well as multi-pollutant approach. RESULTS: No associations were observed between air pollution exposures and global volumes of total brain, and cortical and subcortical grey matter. However, we found associations between higher pregnancy and childhood air pollution exposures with smaller corpus callosum, smaller hippocampus, larger amygdala, smaller nucleus accumbens, and larger cerebellum (e.g. -69.2mm3 hippocampal volume [95%CI -129.1 to -9.3] per 1ng/m3 increase in pregnancy exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Higher pregnancy exposure to air pollution was associated with smaller cortical thickness while higher childhood exposure was associated with predominantly larger cortical surface area. CONCLUSION: Higher pregnancy or childhood exposure to several air pollutants was associated with altered volume of several brain structures, as well as with cortical thickness and surface area. Associations showed some similarity to delayed maturation and effects of early-life stress.
BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the relationship between exposure to air pollution and brain development using magnetic resonance images are emerging. However, most studies have focused only on prenatal exposures, and have included a limited selection of pollutants. Here, we aim to expand the current knowledge by studying pregnancy and childhood exposure to a wide selection of pollutants, and brain morphology in preadolescents. METHODS: We used data from 3133 preadolescents from a birth cohort from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (enrollment: 2002-2006). Concentrations of nitrogen oxides, coarse, fine, and ultrafine particles, and composition of fine particles were estimated for participant's home addresses in pregnancy and childhood, using land use regression models. Structural brain images were obtained at age 9-12 years. We assessed the relationships of air pollution exposure, with brain volumes, and surface-based morphometric data, adjusting for socioeconomic and life-style characteristics, using single as well as multi-pollutant approach. RESULTS: No associations were observed between air pollution exposures and global volumes of total brain, and cortical and subcortical grey matter. However, we found associations between higher pregnancy and childhood air pollution exposures with smaller corpus callosum, smaller hippocampus, larger amygdala, smaller nucleus accumbens, and larger cerebellum (e.g. -69.2mm3 hippocampal volume [95%CI -129.1 to -9.3] per 1ng/m3 increase in pregnancy exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Higher pregnancy exposure to air pollution was associated with smaller cortical thickness while higher childhood exposure was associated with predominantly larger cortical surface area. CONCLUSION: Higher pregnancy or childhood exposure to several air pollutants was associated with altered volume of several brain structures, as well as with cortical thickness and surface area. Associations showed some similarity to delayed maturation and effects of early-life stress.
Authors: Amy E Margolis; Ran Liu; Vasco A Conceição; Bruce Ramphal; David Pagliaccio; Mariah L DeSerisy; Emily Koe; Ena Selmanovic; Amarelis Raudales; Nur Emanet; Aurabelle E Quinn; Beatrice Beebe; Brandon L Pearson; Julie B Herbstman; Virginia A Rauh; William P Fifer; Nathan A Fox; Frances A Champagne Journal: Neurosci Biobehav Rev Date: 2022-03-31 Impact factor: 9.052
Authors: Elisabeth Burnor; Dora Cserbik; Devyn L Cotter; Clare E Palmer; Hedyeh Ahmadi; Sandrah P Eckel; Kiros Berhane; Rob McConnell; Jiu-Chiuan Chen; Joel Schwartz; Raymond Jackson; Megan M Herting Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2021-12-01
Authors: Amy E Margolis; Jacob W Cohen; Bruce Ramphal; Lauren Thomas; Virginia Rauh; Julie Herbstman; David Pagliaccio Journal: Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci Date: 2022-05-30