Pregnancy and early childhood are periods with high plasticity in neurological development. Environmental perturbations during these sensitive windows can have lifelong developmental consequences. This review summarizes key findings relevant to the effects of air pollution on neurological development. Mounting evidence suggests that exposure to air pollution, both during pregnancy and childhood, is associated with childhood developmental outcomes ranging from changes in brain structures to subclinical deficits in developmental test scores, and, ultimately, developmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Although the biological mechanisms of effects remain to be elucidated, multiple pathways are probably involved and include oxidative stress, inflammation, and/or endocrine disruption. Given the alarming global increase in developmental disorders in recent years, and increased human exposures to pollution, it is critical to reduce personal and community-level exposures through tight collaboration of interdisciplinary and multi-level bodies including community partners, physicians, industry partners, policy makers, public health practitioners, and researchers.

中文翻译：

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空气污染与儿童神经发育

怀孕和幼儿期是神经发育具有高度可塑性的时期。这些敏感窗口期间的环境扰动可能会导致终生的发育后果。本综述总结了与空气污染对神经发育影响相关的主要发现。越来越多的证据表明，在怀孕和儿童时期暴露于空气污染与儿童发育结果有关，从大脑结构的变化到发育测试分数的亚临床缺陷，以及最终的发育障碍，如注意力缺陷/多动障碍或自闭症谱系障碍。虽然作用的生物学机制仍有待阐明，但可能涉及多种途径，包括氧化应激、炎症和/或内分泌紊乱。