Short-term PM2.5 exposure and cognitive function: Association and neurophysiological mechanisms

Limei Ke; Yao Zhang; Yingyao Fu; Xinke Shen; Yu Zhang; Xindong Ma; Qian Di

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2022.107593

Short-term PM_2.5 exposure and cognitive function: Association and neurophysiological mechanisms

Environ Int. 2022 Dec:170:107593. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107593. Epub 2022 Oct 19.

Authors

Limei Ke¹, Yao Zhang², Yingyao Fu³, Xinke Shen⁴, Yu Zhang⁵, Xindong Ma⁶, Qian Di⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: klm20@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
² Soochow College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China; Division of Sports Science & Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: yao_zhang19@126.com.
³ Division of Sports Science & Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Department of senior high school, Beijing Jianhua Experimental Etown School, Beijing 100176, China. Electronic address: fyy19@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: sxk17@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁵ Institute of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: zhangyu2011@tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁶ Division of Sports Science & Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: maxd@tsinghua.edu.cn.
⁷ Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Institute for Healthy China, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. Electronic address: qiandi@tsinghua.edu.cn.

PMID: 36279737
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107593

Abstract

Background: Although converging evidence has demonstrated that exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) caused adverse effects on brain structure and cognitive function, the association between the short-term exposure to PM_2.5 and cognition dysfunction remained underexplored, especially possible neurophysiological mechanisms.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal observational study with four repeated measurement sessions among 90 young adults from September 2020 to June 2021. During each measurement session, we measured participants' personal-level air pollution exposure for one week with portable monitors, followed by executive function assessment and electrophysiological signal recording at an assessment center. Standard Stroop color-word test was used accompanied with electroencephalogram (EEG) recording to assess performance on executive function. We used linear mixed-effect model with lagged values of PM_2.5 levels to analyze the association between PM_2.5 exposure and changes in executive function, and mediation analysis to investigate mediation effect by EEG signal.

Results: Adjusted mixed-effect models demonstrated that elevated PM_2.5 exposure three days prior to cognitive assessment (lag-3) was associated with (1) declined performance in both congruent and incongruent tasks in Stroop test, (2) reduced lower and upper alpha event-related desynchronization (ERD) during 500-1000 ms after stimuli, both indicating impaired executive control. Lower and upper alpha ERD also mediated observed associations between short-term PM_2.5 exposure and executive function. No significant associations were found between short-term PM_2.5 exposure or aperiodic exponents in tonic and phasic states, or periodic alpha oscillations in tonic state.

Conclusion: Our results provided evidence that short-term PM_2.5 exposure was associated with executive dysfunction. Reduced alpha ERD was likely to be the underlying pathway through which PM_2.5 induced adverse effects on neuron activities during cognitive tasks.

Keywords: Alpha event-related desynchronization; Aperiodic exponent; Cognition; EEG; Short-term PM(2.5) exposure.

Publication types

Observational Study

MeSH terms

Cognition*
Humans