Every second we inhale a danger in the air; many particles in the atmosphere can influence our lives. Outdoor air pollution, especially particulate matter is the largest environmental risk factor and has been associated with many cardiovascular and lung diseases. Importantly, air pollution has recently been discovered to also impact the brain. Here, we review the effects of air pollution on glial cells of the brain, astrocytes and microglia, and the tightly controlled interplay between these cell types. We focus on how traffic related air pollutants which include both gaseous and particulate emissions and their secondary products influence the intercellular communication of microglia and astrocytes. Finally, we place these air pollution and glial interactions in a larger context by discussing their impact on neurodegeneration.

我们每秒都在空中吸入危险；大气中的许多微粒会影响我们的生活。室外空气污染（尤其是颗粒物）是最大的环境危险因素，并且与许多心血管疾病和肺部疾病有关。重要的是，最近发现空气污染也会影响大脑。在这里，我们回顾了空气污染对大脑，星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞的胶质细胞的影响，以及这些细胞类型之间紧密控制的相互作用。我们关注于与交通有关的空气污染物（包括气体和颗粒物排放物及其次级产品）如何影响小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞的细胞间通讯。最后，通过讨论它们对神经变性的影响，我们将这些空气污染和神经胶质的相互作用置于更大的背景下。