Air Pollution Can Impair Brain Activity In Just 2 Hours: Study

The changes in the brain were only temporary and the brain connectivity went back to normal after the exposure.

Air quality in Delhi has been in the severe category for several days and a thick toxic smog has engulfed the entire city resulting in poor visibility. Scientists have warned of a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR over the next two weeks. This is concerning as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many areas has already breached the 400 mark. Many people are facing respiratory issues while health experts have detailed the hazardous impact of air pollution on the overall health of the human body. The government has barred trucks from entering Delhi unless they are carrying essential goods, providing essential services, or are powered by LNG, CNG, or electricity. Meanwhile, the Centre has put the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of anti-pollution measures, into effect at its highest level in the city and surrounding cities to fight the worsening air quality. Now, a study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria found that even moderate traffic pollution can impair brain function within hours.

The results of the study, which were published in the journal Environmental Health, show that even two hours of exposure to diesel pollution decreases the functional connectivity of the brain. It provides the first scientific proof of altered brain network connectivity in people as a result of air pollution, in a carefully monitored experiment

Twenty-five healthy adults were briefly exposed to filtered air and diesel exhaust at various intervals in a laboratory setting as part of the study. The brain activity of every adult was observed both before and following each exposure using functional magnetic resonance imaging.