Air Pollution and Cognitive Impairment across the Life Course in Humans: A Systematic Review with Specific Focus on Income Level of Study Area

Mina Chandra, Chandra Bhushan Rai, Neelam Kumari, Vipindeep Kaur Sandhu, Kalpana Chandra, Murali Krishna, Sri Harsha Kota, Kuljeet Singh Anand and Anna Oudin
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Mina Chandra: Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Chandra Bhushan Rai: Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Neelam Kumari: Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Vipindeep Kaur Sandhu: Department of Psychiatry, Centre of Excellence in Mental Health, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Kalpana Chandra: Delhi Jal Board, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, New Delhi 110094, India
Murali Krishna: JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysore 570015, Karnataka, India
Sri Harsha Kota: Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India
Kuljeet Singh Anand: Department of Neurology, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (Formerly PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi 110001, India
Anna Oudin: Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, 901 87 Umea, Sweden

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-39

Abstract: Cognitive function is a crucial determinant of human capital. The Lancet Commission (2020) has recognized air pollution as a risk factor for dementia. However, the scientific evidence on the impact of air pollution on cognitive outcomes across the life course and across different income settings, with varying levels of air pollution, needs further exploration. A systematic review was conducted, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines to assess the association between air pollution and cognitive outcomes across the life course with a plan to analyze findings as per the income status of the study population. The PubMed search included keywords related to cognition and to pollution (in their titles) to identify studies on human participants published in English until 10 July 2020. The search yielded 84 relevant studies that described associations between exposure to air pollutants and an increased risk of lower cognitive function among children and adolescents, cognitive impairment and decline among adults, and dementia among older adults with supportive evidence of neuroimaging and inflammatory biomarkers. No study from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)was identified despite high levels of air pollutants and high rates of dementia. To conclude, air pollution may impair cognitive function across the life-course, but a paucity of studies from reLMICs is a major lacuna in research.

Keywords: air pollution; particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5 ); PAH; global pollution; health effects/risks; cognition; cognitive impairment; dementia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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