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Air in big cities disrupts brain function
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Air pollution in big cities has a negative impact on the brains of people living there. Scientists have determined that it is the polluted air in cities that is largely to blame for the onset of negative processes in the brain, which gradually lead to changes that occur in mental disorders (schizophrenia or autism). Such conclusions were made by a research group from one of the universities in the United States.
During their research, specialists found that urban air pollution not only has a negative impact on the health of citizens, but also leads to the development of severe mental illnesses. Such air has a particularly strong effect on the strong half of humanity.
For the research, the scientists took several rodents, which were divided into two groups. The first group of mice were tested by scientists with polluted air for two weeks, the second group of mice served as a control. As a result, the scientists found that the mice from the first group had significantly worsened development and memory indicators.
Currently, the authorities of megacities are making many efforts aimed at reducing pollutants entering the air, but unfortunately, this is not enough. Scientists note that economically developed cities have the highest rates of air pollution.
As Deborah Corey-Schlecht, head of the research project, explained, when air pollutants enter a person's lungs, disturbances occur in the vascular plexuses of the ventricles of the brain, which leads to an increase in their size several times. After such changes, the formation of white matter in the brain ceases. In addition, air pollutants eventually lead to the death of brain cells. Such changes cause developmental disorders and also impair a person's memory.
In addition, specialists conducted research work, during which they analyzed information accumulated over several years (since 1986) by scientific centers (the Center for Biodemography and Health and the Andrus Center for Gerontology).
Through the joint efforts of experts, the condition of about 800 people was analyzed.
In the second half of the 1990s, scientists began measuring the concentration of air pollutants in the areas where the participants in the experiment lived. Cognitive abilities were assessed by specialists after testing (mathematical tests and memory tests). Based on the results of the errors made by the participants, an average indicator was entered.
On average, the concentration of fine particles in the air was 13.8 μg/m3 (while the maximum permissible level is 12 μg/m3).
In the course of further research, scientists found that those participants in the experiment who lived in areas where air pollution was 15 μg/m3 and higher made one and a half times more mistakes when taking tests than those subjects who lived in cleaner areas (pollution level of 5 μg/m3 and lower).
Recent research by scientists has shown that particles 2.5 microns and smaller freely enter the human bloodstream and lungs. Presumably, it is through the blood vessels that pollutants enter the brain, causing cognitive impairment.
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