Psychology Department, University of California, Davis, USA.
Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, USA.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2024 Oct;69:101436. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101436. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
Climate change, wildfires, and environmental justice concerns have drawn increased attention to the impact of air pollution on children's health and development. Children are especially vulnerable to air pollution exposure, as their brains and bodies are still developing. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize available empirical evidence on the associations between air pollution exposure and brain outcomes in developmental samples (ages 0-18 years old). Studies were identified by searching the PubMed and Web of Science Core Collection databases and underwent a two-phase screening process before inclusion. 40 studies were included in the review, which included measures of air pollution and brain outcomes at various points in development. Results linked air pollution to varied brain outcomes, including structural volumetric and cortical thickness differences, alterations in white matter microstructure, functional network changes, metabolic and molecular effects, as well as tumor incidence. Few studies included longitudinal changes in brain outcomes. This review also suggests methodologies for incorporating air pollution measures in developmental cognitive neuroscience studies and provides specific policy recommendations to reduce air pollution exposure and promote healthy brain development by improving access to clean air.
气候变化、野火和环境公正问题引起了人们对空气污染对儿童健康和发育影响的更多关注。儿童特别容易受到空气污染暴露的影响，因为他们的大脑和身体仍在发育中。本系统评价的目的是综合现有关于在发育样本（0-18 岁）中空气污染暴露与大脑结果之间关联的实证证据。通过搜索 PubMed 和 Web of Science Core Collection 数据库来确定研究，并在纳入之前进行了两阶段筛选过程。该综述共纳入了 40 项研究，这些研究包括在不同发育阶段测量的空气污染和大脑结果。研究结果将空气污染与各种大脑结果联系起来，包括结构体积和皮质厚度差异、白质微观结构改变、功能网络变化、代谢和分子效应以及肿瘤发生率。很少有研究包括大脑结果的纵向变化。本综述还为在发展认知神经科学研究中纳入空气污染测量方法提供了方法，并提出了具体的政策建议，通过改善清洁空气的获取来减少空气污染暴露，促进健康的大脑发育。
