Association of long-term air pollution and ambient noise with cognitive decline in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study

Katherine Ogurtsova; Vanessa J Soppa; Christian Weimar; Karl-Heinz Jöckel; Martha Jokisch; Barbara Hoffmann

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121898

Association of long-term air pollution and ambient noise with cognitive decline in the Heinz Nixdorf Recall study

Environ Pollut. 2023 Aug 15;331(Pt 1):121898. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121898. Epub 2023 May 25.

Authors

Katherine Ogurtsova¹, Vanessa J Soppa², Christian Weimar³, Karl-Heinz Jöckel⁴, Martha Jokisch⁴, Barbara Hoffmann²

Affiliations

¹ Environmental Epidemiology Group, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. Electronic address: katherine.ogurtsova@hhu.de.
² Environmental Epidemiology Group, Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
³ BDH Clinic Elzach, Elzach, Germany; Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (IMIBE), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.
⁴ Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (IMIBE), University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.

PMID: 37244536
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121898

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of long-term ambient air pollution (AP) and noise exposure on change in cognitive function over years in the elderly. In this study, we wanted to examine the association between long-term exposure to AP and noise with the rate of cognitive decline in a population aged 50 and older and susceptible groups with mild cognitive impairment or at a genetically higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (Apolipoprotein E ε4 positive). Participants in the German population-based Heinz Nixdorf Recall study carried out five neuropsychological tests. Individual tests scores at the first (T₁ = 2006-2008) and second (T₂ = 2011-2015) follow-up for each test were used as outcomes after standardization using predicted means adjusted for age and education. Global cognitive score (GCS) was defined as sum of five standardized scores of individual tests. Long-term exposures to particulate matter (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, PM_2.5 absorbance), accumulation mode particle number (PN_acc), a proxy of ultrafine particles, and nitrogen dioxide were estimated by the land-use regression and chemistry transport models. Noise exposures were assessed as outdoor weighted nighttime road traffic noise (L_night) means. We performed linear regression analyses adjusted for sex, age, individual and neighborhood socio-economic status, and lifestyle variables. Effect modification in vulnerable groups was estimated using multiplicative interaction terms between exposure and a modifier. Overall, 2554 participants (49.5% men, median age is 63 (IQR = 12)) were included. We found weak associations between higher exposure to PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 with faster decline in the immediate verbal memory test. Adjustment for potential confounders and for co-exposures did not change the results. We saw no effects on GCS, and no effect of noise exposure. In susceptible groups, higher AP and noise exposure were tended to be associated with faster decline in GCS. Our results suggest that AP exposure may accelerate cognitive decline in older ages, particularly in susceptible groups.

Keywords: Air pollution; Cognitive decline; Noise; Ultrafine particle.

MeSH terms

Aged
Air Pollutants* / adverse effects
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / adverse effects
Cognitive Dysfunction* / epidemiology
Environmental Exposure / adverse effects
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Particulate Matter / adverse effects
Particulate Matter / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter