Associated with numerous cognitive and behavioral functions and with several diseases, the prefrontal cortex is vulnerable to environmental insult. Among other factors, toxins in air pollution have been associated with damage to the prefrontal cortex in children and older adults. We used data from the UK Biobank to assess further associations between an array of toxins in air pollution and gray matter in the prefrontal cortex including the left and right frontal poles, left and right superior frontal gyri, left and right frontal medial cortex, left and right orbitofrontal cortex, and left and right frontal opercula, using multivariate models adjusted for covariates that possibly could confound the association between air pollution and volume of prefrontal gray matter. The results showed inverse associations between PM 2.5, PM 10, and nitrogen oxides and prefrontal volume in models adjusted for age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, race-ethnicity, self-rated overall health, body mass index, total brain volume, smoking status, and alcohol use frequency. Education appeared to moderate the association between air pollution and prefrontal volume. The data in these analyses came from regions whose mean PM 2.5 was near the upper limit and whose mean PM 10 was under those recommended by the World Health Organization. These findings suggest that comparatively low levels of air pollution might be associated with reduced volume of the prefrontal cortex.

中文翻译：

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成人暴露于空气污染与前额叶皮层体积之间的关联：来自英国生物库的横断面研究。

前额叶皮层与多种认知和行为功能以及多种疾病相关，很容易受到环境侵害。除其他因素外，空气污染中的毒素与儿童和老年人的前额叶皮层受损有关。我们使用了来自英国生物库的数据来评估一系列空气污染毒素与额叶前额叶皮层中灰质之间的进一步关联，包括左额叶和右额叶极，左和右额叶上回，左右额叶内侧皮层，左和右额叶右眼额叶皮层以及左，右额叶覆盖层，使用针对协变量进行调整的多元模型，这些协变量可能会混淆空气污染与前额叶灰质量之间的关联。结果显示PM 2.5，PM 10，并根据年龄，性别，教育程度，社会经济状况，种族，自我评估的整体健康状况，体重指数，总脑容量，吸烟状况和饮酒频率对模型中的氮氧化物和前额叶体积进行调整。教育似乎减轻了空气污染与额叶前额之间的联系。这些分析中的数据来自平均PM 2.5接近上限且平均PM 10低于世界卫生组织建议的区域。这些发现表明，空气污染水平较低可能与前额叶皮层体积减少有关。教育似乎减轻了空气污染与额叶前额之间的联系。这些分析中的数据来自平均PM 2.5接近上限且平均PM 10低于世界卫生组织建议的区域。这些发现表明，空气污染水平较低可能与前额叶皮层体积减少有关。教育似乎减轻了空气污染与额叶前额之间的联系。这些分析中的数据来自平均PM 2.5接近上限且平均PM 10低于世界卫生组织建议的区域。这些发现表明，空气污染水平较低可能与前额叶皮层体积减少有关。