Huang Chaojuan, Cheng Zimei, Wu Xu, Li Zhiwei, Li Mingxu, Feng Xingliang, Zhang Yuyang, Zhao Qian
Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230022, China.
Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Children's Medical Center, Shanghai 201102, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2025 Jun 1;297:118221. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118221. Epub 2025 Apr 29.
Accumulating research has linked ambient air pollution exposure to alterations in cortical surface area (SA) and thickness; however, the causal inferences remain controversial. Our investigation aims to determine the causality between air pollution and brain cortical morphology using the Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
Public accessible genome-wide association studies data on particulate matter 2.5 (PM), PM absorbance, PM, PM, nitrogen dioxide (NO), and nitrogen oxides (NO) concentration were screened to select instrumental variables. Univariable MR (UVMR) was performed to assess the causality of air pollution on brain cortical structure using five MR methods. Multivariable MR (MVMR) was further conducted to strengthen the robustness of the identified relationships by adjusting for related pollutant phenotypes, household income, and unhealthy eating habits.
The UVMR analysis identified fourteen causal associations between air pollution susceptibility and alterations in brain cortical morphology, with nine showing negative effects and five showing positive effects concurrently. The MVMR models indicated negative causal relationships between PM level and the SA of the inferior temporal cortex (beta [95 %CI] = -215.739 [-404.284 to -27.194], p = 0.025), NO level and the SA of the lateral occipital cortex (beta [95 %CI] = -548.577 [-1086.450 to -10.699], p = 0.046), and a positive correlation between PM absorbance and SA of the bankssts cortex (beta [95 %CI] = 76.491 [14.267-138.716], p = 0.016). No evidence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy was noticed.
Our exploration established causal relationships between air pollution exposure and brain cortical structure, underscoring the significance of mitigating air pollution to preserve brain cortical morphology.
越来越多的研究将环境空气污染暴露与皮质表面积（SA）和厚度的改变联系起来；然而，因果推断仍存在争议。我们的研究旨在使用孟德尔随机化（MR）方法确定空气污染与脑皮质形态之间的因果关系。
筛选公开可得的关于细颗粒物2.5（PM）、PM吸光度、PM、PM、二氧化氮（NO）和氮氧化物（NO）浓度的全基因组关联研究数据，以选择工具变量。使用五种MR方法进行单变量MR（UVMR），以评估空气污染对脑皮质结构的因果关系。进一步进行多变量MR（MVMR），通过调整相关污染物表型、家庭收入和不健康饮食习惯来加强所确定关系的稳健性。
UVMR分析确定了空气污染易感性与脑皮质形态改变之间的14种因果关联，其中9种显示负面影响，5种同时显示正面影响。MVMR模型表明，PM水平与颞下回皮质的SA之间存在负因果关系（β[95%CI]=-215.739[-404.284至-27.194]，p=0.025），NO水平与枕外侧皮质的SA之间存在负因果关系（β[95%CI]=-548.577[-1086.450至-10.699]，p=0.046），以及PM吸光度与bankssts皮质的SA之间存在正相关（β[95%CI]=76.491[14.267 - 138.716]，p=0.016）。未发现异质性或多效性的证据。
我们的探索建立了空气污染暴露与脑皮质结构之间的因果关系，强调了减轻空气污染以保护脑皮质形态的重要性。
