TY - JOUR
T1 - Components of air pollution and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults in Los Angeles
AU - Gatto, Nicole M.
AU - Henderson, Victor W.
AU - Hodis, Howard N.
AU - St. John, Jan A.
AU - Lurmann, Fred
AU - Chen, Jiu Chiuan
AU - Mack, Wendy J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health : RO1AG-17160 , R01AG-024154 . P50 AG05142 and 5-T32-AG00037 from the National Institute on Aging , U01AT-001653 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine , the Office of Dietary Supplements , and P30CA-71789 from the Office of Research on Women's Health .
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - While experiments in animals demonstrate neurotoxic effects of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3), epidemiologic evidence is sparse regarding the relationship between different constituencies of air pollution mixtures and cognitive function in adults. We examined cross-sectional associations between various ambient air pollutants [O3, PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)] and six measures of cognitive function and global cognition among healthy, cognitively intact individuals (n=1496, mean age 60.5 years) residing in the Los Angeles Basin. Air pollution exposures were assigned to each residential address in 2000-06 using a geographic information system that included monitoring data. A neuropsychological battery was used to assess cognitive function; a principal components analysis defined six domain-specific functions and a measure of global cognitive function was created. Regression models estimated effects of air pollutants on cognitive function, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, income, study and mood. Increasing exposure to PM2.5 was associated with lower verbal learning (β=-0.32 per 10μg/m3 PM2.5, 95% CI=-0.63, 0.00; p=0.05). Ambient exposure to NO2 >20ppb tended to be associated with lower logical memory. Compared to the lowest level of exposure to ambient O3, exposure above 49ppb was associated with lower executive function. Including carotid artery intima-media thickness, a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, in models as a possible mediator did not attenuate effect estimates. This study provides support for cross-sectional associations between increasing levels of ambient O3, PM2.5 and NO2 and measures of domain-specific cognitive abilities.
AB - While experiments in animals demonstrate neurotoxic effects of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3), epidemiologic evidence is sparse regarding the relationship between different constituencies of air pollution mixtures and cognitive function in adults. We examined cross-sectional associations between various ambient air pollutants [O3, PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)] and six measures of cognitive function and global cognition among healthy, cognitively intact individuals (n=1496, mean age 60.5 years) residing in the Los Angeles Basin. Air pollution exposures were assigned to each residential address in 2000-06 using a geographic information system that included monitoring data. A neuropsychological battery was used to assess cognitive function; a principal components analysis defined six domain-specific functions and a measure of global cognitive function was created. Regression models estimated effects of air pollutants on cognitive function, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, income, study and mood. Increasing exposure to PM2.5 was associated with lower verbal learning (β=-0.32 per 10μg/m3 PM2.5, 95% CI=-0.63, 0.00; p=0.05). Ambient exposure to NO2 >20ppb tended to be associated with lower logical memory. Compared to the lowest level of exposure to ambient O3, exposure above 49ppb was associated with lower executive function. Including carotid artery intima-media thickness, a measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, in models as a possible mediator did not attenuate effect estimates. This study provides support for cross-sectional associations between increasing levels of ambient O3, PM2.5 and NO2 and measures of domain-specific cognitive abilities.
KW - Air pollution
KW - Cognitive dysfunction
KW - Dementia
KW - Ozone
KW - Particulate matter
KW - Verbal learning
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U2 - 10.1016/j.neuro.2013.09.004
DO - 10.1016/j.neuro.2013.09.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 24148924
SN - 0161-813X
VL - 40
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - NeuroToxicology
JF - NeuroToxicology
ER -