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Autopsy Study Links Fine Particle Pollution to More Severe Alzheimer’s

Researchers report a 19% higher odds of severe Alzheimer’s pathology for each 1 µg/m³ rise in PM2.5.

Overview

  • Published in JAMA Neurology, the University of Pennsylvania analysis examined 602 autopsied brains from the Penn Medicine Brain Bank using address-based estimates of PM2.5 exposure.
  • Higher pollution exposure was associated with more amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain as well as faster cognitive and functional decline in patients’ clinical records.
  • Measured exposures in the cohort ranged from 5 to 17 µg/m³, compared with the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limit of 9 µg/m³.
  • Authors stress the study is observational, note that most donors lived in the Philadelphia region, and call for independent replication before changing clinical care.
  • Experts point to plausible mechanisms such as brain inflammation, oxidative stress, and disrupted microglial clearance, while not asserting that air pollution causes Alzheimer’s disease.