New knowledge: How quickly exhaust gases can change the brain

According to the Canadian researchers behind the study, it is possible to track changes in parts of the brain as a result of exhaust emissions already two hours later.

noticed for the first time ever

The results are based on an experiment with 25 adults, who were first exposed to exhaust gases in the laboratory.

Then they had to breathe clean, filtered air, to be able to compare the different types of air that started in their brains.

They compared brain images taken before and after each scenario. After the participants were exposed to air pollution, the researchers were able to demonstrate a change in the so-called Inåttrikdde network in their Swedish brains.

The inner network is a system of neurons that are activated when the brain takes mental breaks. It can be, for example, during mindfulness or meditation exercises, but also when we are dreaming or doing a chore.

In other words, the network is doing a kind of unconscious mental cleaning.

It’s the first time scientists have seen pollution cause these kinds of brain changes in humans.

For decades, scientists believed that the brain might be protected from the harmful effects of air pollution. The lead author of the study, Dr. Chris Carlsten.

Risk of impaired ability to work

According to what d. Jodie Gawryluk, co-author of the study, was associated with decreased cognitive performance and symptoms of depression.

“So it’s alarming to see that traffic pollution alters the same network,” she says.

According to the researchers, more research is needed in the region to fully understand the consequences of these changes. But it appears from the study that there is a risk that it could impair people’s thinking or their ability to function.

At the same time, the good news is that the changes observed in the brain were short-lived. As soon as the clean air flowed through the lungs again, the brain returned to its original position.

However, the findings suggest that air pollution can be harmful to the brain if one is chronically exposed to air full of harmful particles.

This in itself is critical for large portions of the world’s population, who breathe in daily high levels of air pollution.