Abstract

Background:

Despite the importance of understanding associations of air pollution and noise exposure with loss of neurocognitive performance, studies investigating these exposures and local brain structure are limited.

Objective:

We estimated associations of residential air pollution and noise exposures with neurocognitive test performance and the local gyrification index (lGI), a marker for local brain atrophy, among older adults.

Methods:

For $n=615$ participants from the population-based 1000BRAINS study, based on the German Heinz Nixdorf Recall study, we assessed residential exposures to particulate matter (${\mathrm{PM}}_{10}$, ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$, ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5\text{abs}}$), accumulation mode particle number (${\text{PN}}_{\text{AM}}$), and nitrogen oxides (${\mathrm{NO}}_{\mathrm{x}}$, ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$), using land-use regression and chemistry transport models. Weighted 24-h and nighttime noise were modeled according to the European noise directive. We evaluated associations of air pollution and noise exposure at the participants’ 2006–2008 residential addresses with neurocognitive test performance and region-specific lGI values ($n=590$) from magnetic resonance imaging, both assessed in 2011–2015, using linear regression and adjusting for demographic and personal characteristics.

Results:

Air pollution and noise were associated with language and short-term/working memory and with local atrophy of the fronto–parietal network (FPN), a functional resting-state network associated with these cognitive processes. For example, per $2\text{-}\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{m}}^3$${\mathrm{PM}}_{10}$, local brain atrophy was more pronounced in the posterior brain regions of the FPN, with a $-0.02$ [95% confidence interval (CI): $-0.04$, 0.00] lower lGI. In contrast, in the anterior regions of the FPN, weighted 24-h and nighttime noise were associated with less local brain atrophy [e.g., 0.02 (95% CI: 0.00, 0.04) for $10\text{\hspace{0.17em}dB}$(A) 24-h noise].

Conclusions:

Air pollution and noise exposures were associated in opposite directions with markers of local atrophy of the FPN in the right brain hemisphere in older adults, suggesting that both chronic air pollution and noise exposure may influence the physiological aging process of the brain. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5859

中文翻译：

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老年人群中空气污染和噪声与局部脑结构的关系

摘要

背景：

尽管了解空气污染和噪音暴露与神经认知功能丧失之间的联系非常重要，但研究这些暴露和局部大脑结构的研究仍然有限。

目的：

我们估计了老年人中住宅空气污染和噪声暴露与神经认知测试性能和局部回旋指数（lGI）的关联，局部回旋指数是局部脑萎缩的标志。

方法：

对于 $ñ=615$ 基于人口的1000 BRAINS研究的参与者（根据德国亨氏Nixdorf召回研究），我们评估了居民对颗粒物的暴露（${\mathrm{下午}}_{10}$， ${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$， ${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5\text{腹肌}}$），累积模式粒子数（${\text{PN}}_{\text{上午}}$）和氮氧化物（${\mathrm{没有}}_{\mathrm{X}}$， ${\mathrm{没有}}_2$），使用土地利用回归和化学迁移模型。加权的24小时和夜间噪声是根据欧洲噪声指令建模的。我们评估了参与者2006-2008年住所地址中的空气污染和噪声暴露与神经认知测试性能和特定于区域的lGI值之间的关联性（$ñ=590$）来自磁共振成像（均在2011–2015年进行了评估），均使用线性回归并对人口和个人特征进行了调整。

结果：

空气污染和噪音与语言和短期/工作记忆以及额顶网络（FPN）的局部萎缩有关，额叶网络是与这些认知过程相关的功能性静止状态网络。例如，每$2\text{--}\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{G}/{\mathrm{米}}^3$${\mathrm{下午}}_{10}$，FPN后脑区域局部脑萎缩更为明显， $-0.02$ [95％置信区间（CI）： $-0.04$，0.00]较低的lGI。相比之下，在FPN的前部区域，加权24小时和夜间噪声与较少的局部脑萎缩相关[例如，对于0.02（95％CI：0.00，0.04）$10\text{\hspace{0.17em}D b}$（A）24小时噪音]。

结论：

空气污染和噪声暴露与老年人右脑半球中FPN局部萎缩的标志相反，这表明慢性空气污染和噪声暴露都可能影响大脑的生理衰老过程。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5859