SynthesisEnvironmental research2025
A systematic review of air pollution exposure and brain structure and function during development.
Synthesis in Environmental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed.
- Outdoor Air Pollution, Perivascular Space Morphology, and Cognition in Preadolescence.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- Less air pollution previously related to clean air and climate policies is linked to improved cognitive scores over time in NYC children.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Wearable Personal PMmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- The Earliest Impressions: A Systematic Review of Early-Life Exposures on Brain Structure and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- From Air to Brain: Environmental Nanoparticles as Modifiable Risk Factors for Neurodevelopmental, Neurodegenerative, and Mental Disorders.ACS omega · 2026Review
- Radon-related increases in depressive symptoms are explained by amygdala morphology and external locus of control.Neurotoxicology · 2026Article
- Ambient pollution components and sources are associated with hippocampal architecture and memory in pre-adolescents.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Neighborhood air pollution is associated with attenuated neurocognitive maturation over early adolescence.Developmental cognitive neuroscience · 2026Article
- Impact of prenatal exposure to airborne particulate matter on local functional connections in the cerebral cortex of neonates.NeuroImage · 2026Article
- White matter reflects the childhood exposome.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Impact of Pollution on Mental Health: A Systematic Review of Associations, Methodological Challenges, and Future Directions.Health science reports · 2026Review
- The unique effects of chronic exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and indoor radon on subcortical brain morphology in youth.Neurotoxicology · 2026Article
- Individual differences in adolescent cortical development are associated with neighborhood characteristics: Longitudinal findings from the ABCD study.Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) · 2026Article
- Airborne particulate matter and the lung-brain axis: unraveling the neuroinflammatory cascade from alveolar irritation to microglial activation.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- In utero air pollution exposure and pre- and postnatal brain development: a review.Neuroscience applied · 2026Review
- Exposure to Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Risk of Adverse Health Outcomes in Women and Children in Bangladesh.Current environmental health reports · 2025Review
- Neurodevelopment and Risk Factors in Infants Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Eastern China: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- The Impact of Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution on the Brain: A Diffusion MRI Study in 10-13-Year-Old Children With and Without ADHD Diagnosis.Human brain mapping · 2025Article
- Unraveling the impact of prenatal air pollution for neonatal brain maturation.Environment international · 2025Article
- Sources of outdoor air pollution exposure and child brain network development across the United States.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
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6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesAir pollutants are known neurotoxicants. In this updated systematic review, we evaluate new evidence since our 2019 systematic review on the effect of outdoor air pollution exposure on childhood and adolescent brain structure and function as measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
methodsUsing PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus we conducted an updated literature search and systematic review of articles published through January 2025, using key terms for air pollution and functional and/or structural MRI. Two raters independently screened all articles using Covidence and implemented the risk of bias instrument for systematic reviews used to inform the World Health Organization Global Air Quality Guidelines.
resultsWe identified 29 relevant papers, and 20 new studies met our inclusion criteria. Including six studies from our 2019 review, the 26 publications to date include study populations from the United States, Netherlands, Spain, and United Kingdom. Studies investigated exposure periods spanning pregnancy through early adolescence, and estimated air pollutant exposure levels via personal monitoring, geospatial residential estimates, or school courtyard monitors. Brain MRI occurred when children were on average 6-14.7 years old; however, one study assessed newborns. Several MRI modalities were leveraged, including structural morphology, diffusion tensor imaging, restriction spectrum imaging, arterial spin labeling, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as well as resting-state and task-based functional MRI. Air pollutants were associated with widespread brain differences, although the magnitude and direction of findings are largely inconsistent, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions.
conclusionPrenatal and childhood exposure to outdoor air pollution is associated with structural and functional brain variations. Compared to our initial 2019 review comprised of only cross-sectional studies, the current literature now includes longitudinal studies and more advanced neuroimaging methods. Further research is needed to clarify the effects of developmental timing, along with the downstream implications of outdoor air pollution exposure on children's cognitive and mental health.
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