Ambient Air Pollution and the Severity of Alzheimer Disease Neuropathology

What are the associations between air pollution, neuropathology, and dementia?In this study of 602 autopsy-confirmed individuals, exposure to higher levels of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM) was associated with more advanced Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change (ADNC) and more advanced clinical measures of dementia. The association between PM exposure and clinical dementia severity appeared to be statistically mediated by ADNC.Higher PM exposure may exacerbate Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change and cognitive dysfunction in the setting of dementia; population-based autopsy studies are further needed to generalize these findings.

Corresponding Author: Edward B. Lee, MD, PhD, Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research Brain Bank, Institute of Aging, Penn Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 613A Stellar Chance Laboratories, 422 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (edward.lee@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.