The new study used a model of human exposure to diesel exhaust fumes. In a laboratory setting, 25 healthy adults were exposed to either diesel exhaust gas or filtered air for two hours, and their brain activity was measured using fMRI before and after each exposure.
The focus of the study was the impact of traffic-related air pollution on the DMN. It is a series of interconnected areas of the cerebral cortex that play a critical role in cognition, memory, and emotion.
The results of the study showed that short-term exposure to diesel exhaust caused a decrease in DMN activity and reduced functional connectivity between different brain regions compared to what was observed when subjects inhaled filtered air. The study’s first author, Jody Gavrilyuk, says similar changes in the DMN are associated with depression and cognitive decline.
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Source: Ferra
