'Polluted air' can reduce white matter in our brains

In a new study, scientist have claimed that air pollution could cut down the white matter in our brains.

For the study, a research team took brain MRIs of 1403 women who were 71 to 89 years old and used residential histories and air monitoring data to estimate their exposure to air pollution in the previous 6 to 7 years.

Older women who lived in places with higher air pollution had significantly reduced white matter in the brain.

The findings suggest that ambient particulate air pollutants may have a deleterious effect on brain aging.

Lead author Dr. Jiu-Chiuan Chen said that their study provided the convincing evidence that several parts of the aging brain, especially the white matter, are an important target of neurotoxic effects induced by long-term exposure to fine particles in the ambient air.

The study is published in Annals of Neurology.