Smoke from bushfires (also known as wildfires or forest fires) has blanketed large regions of Australia during the southern hemisphere summer of 2019/2020, potentially endangering residents who breathe the polluted air. While such air pollution is known to cause respiratory irritation and damage, its effect on the brain is not well described. In this review, we aim to outline the potentially damaging effects of bushfire smoke on brain health. We also describe the composition of air pollution, including ambient particulate matter (PM) and bushfire PM, before covering the general health effects of each. The investigated entry routes for ambient PM and postulated entry routes for bushfire PM are discussed, along with epidemiological and experimental evidence of the effect of both PMs in the brain. It appears that bushfire PM may be more toxic than ambient PM, and that it may enter the brain through extrapulmonary or olfactory routes to cause inflammation and oxidative stress. Ultimately, this review highlights the desperate requirement of greater research into the effects of bushfire PM on brain health.

在 2019/2020 年的南半球夏季，丛林大火（也称为野火或森林火灾）产生的烟雾笼罩了澳大利亚的大部分地区，可能危及呼吸受污染空气的居民。虽然已知这种空气污染会引起呼吸道刺激和损害，但其对大脑的影响尚未得到很好的描述。在这篇评论中，我们旨在概述丛林大火烟雾对大脑健康的潜在破坏性影响。我们还描述了空气污染的成分，包括环境颗粒物 (PM) 和丛林大火 PM，然后再介绍每种物质的一般健康影响。讨论了环境 PM 的研究进入途径和丛林大火 PM 的假设进入途径，以及关于这两种 PM 对大脑影响的流行病学和实验证据。似乎丛林大火 PM 可能比环境 PM 更具毒性，并且它可能通过肺外或嗅觉途径进入大脑，引起炎症和氧化应激。最终，这篇评论强调迫切需要对丛林大火 PM 对大脑健康的影响进行更深入的研究。