Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents
Background: The amount of people affected by traffic-related air pollution and noise is continuously increasing, but limited research has been conducted on the association between these environmental exposures and functional brain connectivity in children. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Environment International |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022002021 |
| _version_ | 1811231667967229952 |
|---|---|
| author | Laura Pérez-Crespo Michelle S.W. Kusters Mónica López-Vicente Małgorzata J. Lubczyńska Maria Foraster Tonya White Gerard Hoek Henning Tiemeier Ryan L. Muetzel Mònica Guxens |
| author_facet | Laura Pérez-Crespo Michelle S.W. Kusters Mónica López-Vicente Małgorzata J. Lubczyńska Maria Foraster Tonya White Gerard Hoek Henning Tiemeier Ryan L. Muetzel Mònica Guxens |
| author_sort | Laura Pérez-Crespo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The amount of people affected by traffic-related air pollution and noise is continuously increasing, but limited research has been conducted on the association between these environmental exposures and functional brain connectivity in children. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to analyze the associations between the exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity amongst a wide-swath of brain areas in preadolescents from 9 to 12 years of age. Methods: We used data of 2,197 children from the Generation R Study. Land use regression models were applied to estimate nitrogen oxides and particulate matter levels at participant’s homes for several time periods: pregnancy, birth to 3 years, 3 to 6 years, and 6 years of age to the age at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment. Existing noise maps were used to estimate road traffic noise exposure at participant’s homes for the same time periods. Resting-state functional MRI was obtained at 9–12 years of age. Pair-wise correlation coefficients of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent signals between 380 brain areas were calculated. Linear regressions were run and corrected for multiple testing. Results: Preadolescents exposed to higher levels of NO2, NOx, and PM2.5 absorbance, from birth to 3 years, and from 3 to 6 years of age showed higher correlation coefficients among several brain regions (e.g. from 0.16 to 0.19 higher correlation coefficient related to PM2.5 absorbance exposure, depending on the brain connection). Overall, most identified associations were between brain regions of the task positive and task negative networks, and were mainly inter-network (20 of 26). Slightly more than half of the connections were intra-hemispheric (14 of 26), predominantly in the right hemisphere. Road traffic noise was not associated with functional brain connectivity. Conclusions: This exploratory study found that exposure to traffic-related air pollution during the first years of life was related to higher functional brain connectivity predominantly in brain areas located in the task positive and task negative networks, in preadolescents from 9 to 12 years of age. These results could be an indicator of differential functional connectivity in children exposed to higher levels of air pollution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T10:48:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-47ff34f1d81d4c1dbb9297f8664c2b16 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0160-4120 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T10:48:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environment International |
| spelling | doaj.art-47ff34f1d81d4c1dbb9297f8664c2b162022-12-22T03:36:18ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202022-06-01164107275Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescentsLaura Pérez-Crespo0Michelle S.W. Kusters1Mónica López-Vicente2Małgorzata J. Lubczyńska3Maria Foraster4Tonya White5Gerard Hoek6Henning Tiemeier7Ryan L. Muetzel8Mònica Guxens9ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, SpainISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, SpainISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; PHAGEX Research Group, Blanquerna School of Health Science, Universitat Ramon Lull (URL), Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, The NetherlandsInstitute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Boston, USADepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – Campus Mar, Carrer Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.Background: The amount of people affected by traffic-related air pollution and noise is continuously increasing, but limited research has been conducted on the association between these environmental exposures and functional brain connectivity in children. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to analyze the associations between the exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity amongst a wide-swath of brain areas in preadolescents from 9 to 12 years of age. Methods: We used data of 2,197 children from the Generation R Study. Land use regression models were applied to estimate nitrogen oxides and particulate matter levels at participant’s homes for several time periods: pregnancy, birth to 3 years, 3 to 6 years, and 6 years of age to the age at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment. Existing noise maps were used to estimate road traffic noise exposure at participant’s homes for the same time periods. Resting-state functional MRI was obtained at 9–12 years of age. Pair-wise correlation coefficients of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent signals between 380 brain areas were calculated. Linear regressions were run and corrected for multiple testing. Results: Preadolescents exposed to higher levels of NO2, NOx, and PM2.5 absorbance, from birth to 3 years, and from 3 to 6 years of age showed higher correlation coefficients among several brain regions (e.g. from 0.16 to 0.19 higher correlation coefficient related to PM2.5 absorbance exposure, depending on the brain connection). Overall, most identified associations were between brain regions of the task positive and task negative networks, and were mainly inter-network (20 of 26). Slightly more than half of the connections were intra-hemispheric (14 of 26), predominantly in the right hemisphere. Road traffic noise was not associated with functional brain connectivity. Conclusions: This exploratory study found that exposure to traffic-related air pollution during the first years of life was related to higher functional brain connectivity predominantly in brain areas located in the task positive and task negative networks, in preadolescents from 9 to 12 years of age. These results could be an indicator of differential functional connectivity in children exposed to higher levels of air pollution.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022002021Brain developmentFunctional MRIEnvironmental pollutionTransportation noiseChild neurodevelopment |
| spellingShingle | Laura Pérez-Crespo Michelle S.W. Kusters Mónica López-Vicente Małgorzata J. Lubczyńska Maria Foraster Tonya White Gerard Hoek Henning Tiemeier Ryan L. Muetzel Mònica Guxens Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents Environment International Brain development Functional MRI Environmental pollution Transportation noise Child neurodevelopment |
| title | Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| title_full | Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| title_fullStr | Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| title_short | Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood, and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| title_sort | exposure to traffic related air pollution and noise during pregnancy and childhood and functional brain connectivity in preadolescents |
| topic | Brain development Functional MRI Environmental pollution Transportation noise Child neurodevelopment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022002021 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauraperezcrespo exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT michelleswkusters exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT monicalopezvicente exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT małgorzatajlubczynska exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT mariaforaster exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT tonyawhite exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT gerardhoek exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT henningtiemeier exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT ryanlmuetzel exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents AT monicaguxens exposuretotrafficrelatedairpollutionandnoiseduringpregnancyandchildhoodandfunctionalbrainconnectivityinpreadolescents |