Ranft Ulrich, Schikowski Tamara, Sugiri Dorothee, Krutmann Jean, Krämer Ursula
Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung (IUF) an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Auf'm Hennekamp 50, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Environ Res. 2009 Nov;109(8):1004-11. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2009.08.003. Epub 2009 Sep 4.
Animal studies have suggested that fine particulate matter (PM) can translocate from the upper respiratory tract to the brain and cause brain inflammation. Brain inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Hypothesizing therefore that long-term exposure to fine PM might contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the objective of this study was to investigate the association between exposure to fine PM and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) which is associated with a high risk of progression to AD. A study group of 399 women aged 68-79 years who lived for more than 20 years at the same residential address has been assessed for long-term exposure to PM and tested for MCI. The exposure assessment comprised background concentration of PM(10) and traffic-related PM indicated by the distance of the residential address to the next busy road. The women were assessed for MCI by a battery of several neuropsychological tests and their odor identification ability. Consistent effects of traffic-related air pollution exposure on test performances including a dose-response relation were found. The associations were adjusted for potential confounders using regression analysis. These results indicate that chronic exposure to traffic-related PM may be involved in the pathogenesis of AD.
动物研究表明，细颗粒物（PM）可从上呼吸道转移至大脑并引发脑部炎症。脑部炎症与神经退行性疾病的发病机制有关。因此，假设长期暴露于细颗粒物可能会促使阿尔茨海默病（AD）的发展，本研究的目的是调查细颗粒物暴露与轻度认知障碍（MCI）之间的关联，而MCI与发展为AD的高风险相关。对一组399名年龄在68 - 79岁、在同一居住地址居住超过20年的女性进行了长期细颗粒物暴露评估及MCI检测。暴露评估包括PM（10）的背景浓度以及根据居住地址到下一条繁忙道路的距离所指示的与交通相关的细颗粒物。通过一系列神经心理学测试及其气味识别能力对这些女性进行MCI评估。发现与交通相关的空气污染暴露对测试表现有一致影响，包括剂量反应关系。使用回归分析对潜在混杂因素进行了校正。这些结果表明，长期暴露于与交通相关的细颗粒物可能参与了AD的发病机制。
