ArticleResearch square2024
Bioaccumulation of Microplastics in Decedent Human Brains Assessed by Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.
Article in Research square, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Do microplastics play a role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases? Shared pathophysiological pathways for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2026Review
- Microplastic exposure and human health risks across the life cycle: a focus on reproduction, development, and aging.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Exposure to a nanoplastic-enriched diet for fourteen days increases microglial immunoreactivity in the zebrafish telencephalon.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2025Article
- Impact of micro- and nanoplastics exposure on human health: focus on neurological effects from ingestion.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Rising global concentrations of environmental micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) drive concerns for human exposure and health outcomes. Applying pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) methods to isolate and quantify MNPs from human samples, we compared MNP accumulation in kidneys, livers, and brains. Autopsy samples from the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque, NM, collected in 2016 and in 2024, were digested for Py-GC/MS analysis of 12 polymers. Brains exhibited higher concentrations of MNPs than liver or kidney samples. All organs exhibited significant increases from 2016 to 2024. Polyethylene was the predominant polymer; the relative proportion of polyethylene MNPs was greater in brain samples than in liver or kidney. Transmission electron microscopy verified the nanoscale nature of isolated particles, which largely appeared to be aged, shard-like plastics remnants across a wide range of sizes. Results demonstrate that MNPs are selectively accumulated into the human brain and concentrations are rising over time.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.