Pollution particles contribute to development of Alzheimer’s, research suggests

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has warned that particles of magnetite found in areas of high pollution can conceivably contribute to the progression of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

The study involved analysing samples of brain tissue from 37 people - 29 of which had lived and died in Mexico City, an area well known for its high pollution, and who were aged from three to 85. The remaining eight came from Manchester and died between the ages of 62-92 from varying severities of neurodegenerative diseases.

Professor Barbara Maher, lead author of the research paper, commented: “When you study the tissue you see the particles distributed between the cells and when you do a magnetic extraction there are millions of particles, millions in a single gram of brain tissue - that's a million opportunities to do damage."

"They are spherical shapes and they have little crystallites around their surfaces, and they occur with other metals like platinum which comes from catalytic converters. So for the first time we saw these pollution particles inside the human brain.

"It's a discovery finding. It's a whole new area to investigate to understand if these magnetite particles are causing or accelerating neurodegenerative disease."

Commenting on the report’s findings, Professor David Allsop a specialist in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, maintained that whilst the evidence is still lacking, the research shows the pollution particles could be an ‘important risk factor’ in relation to neurodegenerative disorders.

Meanwhile, Dr Clare Walton, research manager at the Alzheimer's Society, said: “This study offers convincing evidence that magnetite from air pollution can get into the brain. However the causes of dementia are complex and so far there hasn't been enough research to say whether living in cities and polluted areas raises the risk of dementia. Further work in this area is important, but until we have more information people should not be unduly worried."