Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt, Suite No. 100, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Curr Environ Health Rep. 2017 Jun;4(2):156-165. doi: 10.1007/s40572-017-0135-2.
Epidemiological and animal studies suggest that air pollution may negatively affect the central nervous system (CNS) and contribute to CNS diseases. Traffic-related air pollution is a major contributor to global air pollution, and diesel exhaust (DE) is its most important component.
Several studies suggest that young individuals may be particularly susceptible to air pollution-induced neurotoxicity and that perinatal exposure may cause or contribute to developmental disabilities and behavioral abnormalities. In particular, a number of recent studies have found associations between exposures to traffic-related air pollution and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which are characterized by impairment in socialization and in communication and by the presence of repetitive and unusual behaviors. The cause(s) of ASD are unknown, and while it may have a hereditary component, environmental factors are increasingly suspected as playing a pivotal role in its etiology, particularly in genetically susceptible individuals. Autistic children present higher levels of neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation, which are also hallmarks of exposure to traffic-related air pollution. Gene-environment interactions may play a relevant role in determining individual susceptibility to air pollution developmental neurotoxicity. Given the worldwide presence of elevated air pollution, studies on its effects and mechanisms on the developing brain, genetic susceptibility, role in neurodevelopmental disorders, and possible therapeutic interventions are certainly warranted.
流行病学和动物研究表明，空气污染可能对中枢神经系统（CNS）产生负面影响，并导致 CNS 疾病。交通相关的空气污染是全球空气污染的主要原因，而柴油机尾气（DE）是其最重要的组成部分。
几项研究表明，年轻人可能特别容易受到空气污染引起的神经毒性的影响，并且围产期暴露可能导致或促成发育障碍和行为异常。特别是，一些最近的研究发现，交通相关的空气污染暴露与自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）之间存在关联，自闭症谱系障碍的特征是社交和沟通障碍以及存在重复和异常行为。ASD 的病因尚不清楚，虽然它可能有遗传成分，但环境因素越来越被怀疑在其发病机制中起着关键作用，特别是在遗传易感个体中。自闭症儿童表现出更高水平的神经炎症和全身炎症，这也是接触交通相关空气污染的特征。基因-环境相互作用可能在决定个体对空气污染发育性神经毒性的易感性方面发挥重要作用。鉴于全球范围内存在空气污染升高的情况，对其对发育中大脑的影响和机制、遗传易感性、在神经发育障碍中的作用以及可能的治疗干预措施进行研究是非常必要的。
