POLLUTION

Just a Few Hours of Exposure to Traffic Pollution Can Impair Brain Function, Claims Study

Representational image (Uma Kadam/BCCL) — Representational image
(Uma Kadam/BCCL)

As much as we try to romanticise being on the road, India's traffic simply isn't conducive to it – for no amount of AP Dhillon or Atif Aslam is going to make up for the blaring horns and polluted air. And god forbid you're travelling in an auto or bus where you don't have the option of rolling up the windows!

While the effects of inhaling vehicular emission on our respiratory system are well known, a first-of-its-kind study just revealed that exposure to common levels of traffic pollution for just two hours could impair human brain function.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria conducted a randomised, double-blind trial on 25 healthy adults by exposing them to car pollution in a laboratory setting. Participants were also exposed to clean, filtered air.

Their brain scans were collected before and after exposure. After they inhaled polluted air, their brain's functional connectivity – a measure of how different areas of the brain interact and communicate with each other – had reduced.

They deduced this by analysing the default mode network, a set of interconnected brain regions most active when an individual engages in internal thoughts, like introspection and remembering.

While this study did not look into the impact this reduced brain connectivity can have on a person, previous studies have linked altered brain connectivity to decreased work performance and working memory.

Well, at least there's some explanation for the brain fog you experience when you begin work in the mornings.

"It's concerning to see traffic pollution interrupting these same networks," said neuropsychologist Jodie Gawryluk from the University of Victoria. "While more research is needed to fully understand the functional impacts of these changes, it's possible that they may impair people's thinking or ability to work."

However, there's no need to panic because these changes in your brain are temporary, and the participants' connectivity returned to normal shortly after.

Then again, researchers think the effects could last for longer durations if the exposure is continuous. So, you would do well to be mindful of the air you're breathing and take necessary precautions to minimise exposure to potentially harmful air pollutants like vehicular emissions.

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