Researchers at Children’s Hospital link air pollution to structural brain changes

In an alarming new study conducted by the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), researchers discovered that kids exposed to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) in the first year of life had reductions in their gray matter volume and cortical thickness at age 12 when compared to peers with lower levels of exposure.

TRAP is a toxic cocktail of gaseous pollutants as a result of fossil fuel combustion. When inhaled, they can directly access the brain when inhaled, leading to neurological issues — such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, ASD, and schizophrenia — due to reductions in cortical thickness and gray matter.

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