Neurology
Traffic air pollution exposure linked to higher amounts of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s patients
This cross-sectional study investigates the association between traffic-related PM2.5 and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) hallmark pathology, including effect modification by APOE genotype, in an autopsy cohort. The study findings suggest that people with higher exposure to traffic-related air pollution were more likely to have high amounts of amyloid plaques in their brains associated with AD after death.
- Brain tissue donors who died before 2020 were examined for AD pathology, including the Braak stage, Consortium to Establish a Registry for AD (CERAD) score, and combined AD neuropathologic change (ABC) score. Traffic-related PM2.5 concentrations were also modeled for the metro-Atlanta area during 2002-2019.
- Among the 224 participants, the mean age of death was 76 years, and 57% had at least 1 APOE ε4 copy.
- Traffic-related PM2.5 was significantly associated with the CERAD score for the 1-year exposure window (odds ratio [OR] 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-3.30) and the 3-year exposure window (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.01-3.17).
- PM2.5 was also associated with higher Braak stage and ABC score, albeit nonsignificantly.
- The strongest associations between PM2.5 and neuropathology markers were among those without APOE ε4 alleles (e.g., for the CERAD score and 1-year exposure window, OR 2.31; 95% CI 1.36-3.94), though interaction between PM2.5 and APOE genotype was not statistically significant.
Source:
Christensen GM, et al. (2024, March 12). Neurology. Association of PM2.5 Exposure and Alzheimer Disease Pathology in Brain Bank Donors-Effect Modification by APOE Genotype. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38382009/