Abstract

Background:

There is increasing evidence that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter [PM $\le 2.5\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ in aerodynamic diameter (${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$)] may adversely impact cognitive performance. Wildfire smoke is one of the biggest sources of ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ and concentrations are likely to increase under climate change. However, little is known about how short-term exposure impacts cognitive function.

Objectives:

We aimed to evaluate the associations between daily and subdaily (hourly) ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ and wildfire smoke exposure and cognitive performance in adults.

Methods:

Scores from 20 plays of an attention-oriented brain-training game were obtained for 10,228 adults in the United States (U.S.). We estimated daily and hourly ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ exposure through a data fusion of observations from multiple monitoring networks. Daily smoke exposure in the western U.S. was obtained from satellite-derived estimates of smoke plume density. We used a longitudinal repeated measures design with linear mixed effects models to test for associations between short-term exposure and attention score. Results were also stratified by age, gender, user behavior, and region.

Results:

Daily and subdaily ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ were negatively associated with attention score. A ${10\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{g}/\mathrm{m}}^3$ increase in ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ in the 3 h prior to gameplay was associated with a 21.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.3, 38.7]-point decrease in score. ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ exposure over 20 plays accounted for an estimated average 3.7% (95% CI: 0.7%, 6.7%) reduction in final score. Associations were more pronounced in the wildfire-impacted western U.S. Medium and heavy smoke density were also negatively associated with score. Heavy smoke density the day prior to gameplay was associated with a 117.0 (95% CI: 1.7, 232.3)-point decrease in score relative to no smoke. Although differences between subgroups were not statistically significant, associations were most pronounced for younger (18–29 y), older ($\ge 70\mathrm{y}$), habitual, and male users.

Discussion:

Our results indicate that ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ and wildfire smoke were associated with reduced attention in adults within hours and days of exposure, but further research is needed to elucidate these relationships. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10498

中文翻译：

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短期暴露于野火烟雾和 PM2.5 以及大脑训练游戏中的认知表现：美国成年人的纵向研究

摘要

背景：

越来越多的证据表明，长期暴露于细颗粒物 [PM$\le 2.5\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{米}$气动直径 (${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$)] 可能会对认知表现产生不利影响。野火烟雾是最大的来源之一${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$在气候变化下，浓度可能会增加。然而，关于短期暴露如何影响认知功能知之甚少。

目标：

我们旨在评估每日和次日（每小时）之间的关联${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$以及成人的野火烟雾暴露和认知表现。

方法：

在美国 (US) 的 10,228 名成年人中获得了 20 场以注意力为导向的大脑训练游戏的分数。我们估计每天和每小时${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$通过来自多个监测网络的观测数据融合暴露。美国西部的每日烟雾暴露量来自卫星对烟雾羽密度的估计。我们使用带有线性混合效应模型的纵向重复测量设计来测试短期暴露与注意力评分之间的关​​联。结果还按年龄、性别、用户行为和地区进行了分层。

结果：

每日和次日${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$与注意力得分呈负相关。一个${10\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{G}/\mathrm{米}}^3$增加${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$在游戏开始前 3 小时，得分下降 21.0 [95% 置信区间 (CI)：3.3, 38.7] 点。${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$超过 20 场比赛的曝光导致最终得分平均降低 3.7% (95% CI: 0.7%, 6.7%)。在受野火影响的美国西部中等和浓烟密度也与得分呈负相关。游戏前一天浓烟密度与无烟相比得分下降 117.0 (95% CI: 1.7, 232.3) 分。尽管亚组之间的差异没有统计学意义，但在年轻（18-29 岁）、年长（$\ge 70\mathrm{是的}$)、习惯性用户和男性用户。

讨论：

我们的结果表明${\mathrm{下午}}_{2.5}$野火烟雾与成年人在暴露后数小时和数天内注意力下降有关，但需要进一步研究来阐明这些关系。https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10498