Earlier this month, JAMA Neurology published a clinical research article by Dr Leonardo Iaccarino and Prof. Gil Rabinovici, identifying an association between increased particulate air pollution and amyloid plaques in the brains of people with cognitive impairment, as observed using amyloid-PET scans. Using data from over 18,000 participants in the Imaging Dementia-Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study, the researchers collated United States Census information on their air pollution exposure at two timepoints: 1-2 years before their amyloid-PET scans, and 13-15 years prior to that. Looking at two measures of air pollution, ground ozone levels and PM(particulate matter) levels, and matching them to the postcodes of IDEAS participants, Dr. Iaccarino and colleagues cross-referenced the results of their amyloid-PET scans to the levels of pollution experienced in the years prior to scanning. No associations between ground ozone levels and brain amyloid levels, however people who lived in areas with high PM levels were on average 15% more likely to have positive amyloid-PET scans. In line with the recent Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care, these findings support the need to consider air pollution in calculations of lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2773645
