materiały: Brain health and pollution

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The effects of pollution on the brain are felt throughout the lifespan. Prenatal exposure to pollution is associated with an increased risk of negative fetal outcomes, including central nervous system damage and developmental delays. Exposure to pollution can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders involving brain development, cognitive function, intellectual development, and emotional and behavioral regulation, often becoming apparent during childhood or adolescence (e.g. ADHD, autism). Pollution is also linked to mental health outcomes that are commonly diagnosed in adolescence or adulthood such as schizophrenia, neuroticism, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Pollution is associated with neu…

Evidence: 77 • authority: 72

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a diverse group of complex behavioral and cognitive conditions caused by the abnormal, or disrupted development of the brain, or by injury or infection during early childhood. These conditions generally appear in early childhood, usually pre-school age, and can persist into adulthood. NDDs are different from neurocognitive disorders that are acquired and not developmental. Neurodevelopmental disorders are categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) into six groups: intellectual disabilities, communication disorders, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, motor disorders,…

Evidence: 57 • authority: 92

From Air to Brain: Environmental Nanoparticles as Modifiable Risk Factors for Neurodevelopmental, Neurodegenerative, and Mental Disorders.. Ultrafine particles (≤100 nm) and other environmental nanoparticles have emerged as biologically active pollutants that can cross biological barriers, including the blood-brain barrier and the placenta. Growing evidence implicates ultrafine particles in a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions, yet their effects remain poorly integrated into clinical and public health frameworks. In this review, we distinguish between size-defined ultrafine particles (UFPs, ≤100 nm), composition-defined environmental nanoparticles originating from combustion and seco…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 92

Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution and risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring: A nationwide population-based cohort study - A commentary on Oh and Song 2026.. This commentary examines how prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution may contribute to the aetiology of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Experimental work demonstrates that gestational exposure to air pollution and micro- and nanoplastics can induce neuroinflammation, synaptic disruption and autism- or attention-related phenotypes in rodents, supporting biological plausibility for pollutant-related NDD risk. Large-scale epidemiological studies have begun to link prenatal traffic-related pollutants with cognit…

Evidence: 51 • authority: 72

A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is also characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotional regulation, or behavior, often in a social context. Such disturbances may occur as single episodes, may be persistent, or may be relapsing–remitting. There are many different types of mental disorders, with signs and symptoms that vary widely between specific disorders. A mental disorder is one aspect of mental health. The causes of mental disorders are ofte…

Evidence: 46 • authority: 88

Neurodevelopmental disorders. Remarkable advances in the neurosciences, particularly in the fields of genetics, molecular biology, metabolism, and nutrition, have greatly advanced our understanding of how the brain develops and responds to environmental influences. Neurodevelopmental disorders arise from perturbation of these normal developmental processes, by insults from heterogeneous aetiological factors. These factors trigger a sequence of molecular, biochemical, and morphological alterations of the brain, resulting in a morphologically and/ or functionally abnormal brain. Rapidly advancing understanding of basic neurodevelopmental processes has direct relevance to understanding human n…

Evidence: 46 • authority: 92

Environmental determinants of neurotoxicity: role of heavy metals in neurological disorders.. Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders are related disorders lying on a spectrum of neural dysfunction with overlapping molecular and cellular mechanisms. Early-life diseases like autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are the result of disturbed neurodevelopment, while late-onset diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are defined by progressive neuronal loss and loss of function. Emerging evidence shows that environmental exposures are important, modifiable factors that affect brain health throughout the lifespan. Factors such as air…

Evidence: 40 • authority: 92

Maternal arsenic exposure induces autism-like behaviors via astrocyte-mediated neuronal apoptosis: Protective effects of Taurine.. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with reduced serum taurine (TA) levels in children with ASD. However, the protective effects of TA against As-associated neurodevelopmental injury remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether TA ameliorates maternal As exposure-associated ASD-like behaviors and explored the underlying mechanisms. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received As₂O₃ and TA through drinking water during gestation. Offspring behaviors and prefrontal cortical changes were assessed using behavioral, histological, ultrastructural, biochemical, and…

Evidence: 40 • authority: 72

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a condition characterized by impairment in social communication and interaction, as well as a need or strong preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing differences, focused interests, or repetitive behaviors. Features of autism are present from early childhood and the condition typically persists throughout life. Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, and a diagnosis requires professional assessment that these characteristics cause significant challenges in daily life beyond what is expected given a person's age and social environment. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, presentations vary and sup…

Evidence: 35 • authority: 80

Combined Analysis of the Association Between Air Pollution, Urban Green Space, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Evidence: 35 • authority: 92

Prenatal PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure disrupts cortical excitatory/inhibitory balance in male offspring by suppressing Lhx8-regulated cholinergic homeostasis and cell adhesion.. Prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is a critical risk factor for neurodevelopmental impairment in male offspring; however, its effects on synaptic development and the underlying transcription factor (TF) regulatory networks remain poorly understood. To address this, we established a mouse model of prenatal PM 2.5 exposure and tracked the cortical development of male offspring across different postnatal stages. We found that prenatal PM 2.5 exposure persistently shifted the cortical excit…

Evidence: 35 • authority: 72

The following is a list of mental disorders as defined at any point by any of the two most prominent systems of classification of mental disorders, namely the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). A mental disorder, also known as a mental illness, mental health condition, or psychiatric disorder, is characterized by a pattern of behavior or mental function that significantly impairs personal functioning or causes considerable distress. The DSM, a classification and diagnostic guide published by the American Psychiatric Association, includes over 450 distinct definitions of mental disorders. Meanwhile, the ICD, publ…