Air Pollution Could Affect Cognitive Development In Children

Children living in cities are likely to develop brain-related health problems because of their exposure to air pollution, says Dr Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas and her team from University of Montana. Lifetime exposure of children to pollution of concentration above the advised current US standards are at a high risk of developing neurodegenerative changes, brain inflammation and even Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, warns the study.

Healthy children who lived in highly polluted environment carried the gene apolipoprotein e4 allele, the gene considered to increase Alzheimer’s disease risk in a person, said the researchers. They also added that diminished cognitive responses were seen in children carrying gene apolipoprotein e4 allele than children carrying gene apolipoprotein e3 allele, explained the researchers.

Eight million children living in the Mexico City are exposed to serious environmental pollution, including high levels of fine particulate matter since birth, said the team of researchers. The researchers divided the children of Mexico City into two categories that included but not limited to age, sex, education and socio-economic status. Children carrying e3 and e4 allele under each category were compared, as a result of which 3 significant changes were observed.

Children with e4 allele had short term memory problems, changes in the key metabolites in the brain and Intelligent Quotient levels about 10 points lesser than the children carrying the e3 allele. The results suggested that there is an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in children carrying e4 allele if they continued to reside in such highly polluted areas, said Calderon-Garciduenas.

The researcher raised concern on children studying in the Mexico City’s unprivileged public schools, and she also added that they would not have developed the cognitive skills to understand the impacts of pollution. An IQ difference of 10 points might have a negative impact on educational and social issues, said the researchers. It is to be noted that Alzheimer’s disease develops about 20 years prior to the expression of the first symptom, said Dr Robert Stern of the Alzheimer’s disease Center in a recent study.

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