Highway Air Linked To Brain Damage In Mice

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Highway Air Linked To Brain Damage In Mice

April 7, 2011 4:09 PM

By Kerri Scales

Highway air was linked to an increase in brain damage, memory loss and

Alzheimer’s among mice and cultured brain cells, according to a recent study.

U.S. researchers Caleb Finch and Constantinos Sioutas, both of the University of

Southern California, recreated air similar to that found around highways. They

used the air to conduct a controlled study using both live mice and artificially

grown brain cells.

They found that the polluted air had an affect on both the live mice and the

brain cells, showing signs of damage in the areas of the brain associated with

learning and memory, and swelling in areas of the brain commonly associated with

Alzheimer’s disease and premature aging.

" You can't see them, but they are inhaled and have an effect on brain neurons

that raises the possibility of long-term brain health consequences of freeway

air, " Finch said in a statement. " Of course this leads to the question, 'How can

we protect urban dwellers from this type of toxicity?' And that's a huge

unknown. "

Finch and Sioutas, who published their study in the journal Environmental Health

Perspectives, hope to conduct several more follow-up studies for further

research.