Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40396917›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of neurology2025

Impact of Marine Microplastics on Neurologic and Functional Disabilities: A Population-Level Study.

Bhargav Makwana, Brinda Desai, Jayashri Srinivasan, Diana Apetauerova, Sourbha S Dani, Siddharth Sehgal, Oleg Yerstein, Sumanth Khadke, Ashish Kumar, Khurram Nasir and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Bhargav MakwanaDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0215-5300
Brinda DesaiDepartment of Neurology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Jayashri SrinivasanDepartment of Neurology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Diana ApetauerovaDepartment of Neurology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Sourbha S DaniDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Siddharth SehgalDepartment of Neurology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Oleg YersteinDepartment of Neurology, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Sumanth KhadkeDepartment of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Ashish KumarDepartment of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Khurram NasirHouston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Rishi WadheraDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Yixin KongDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Ana Navas-AcienDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, USA.
Gary AdamkiewiczDepartment of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Sanjay RajagopalanHarrington Heart and Vascular Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Sadeer Al-KindiCenter for Health and Nature and Department of Cardiology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.
Susan Moffatt-BruceDivision of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.
Sarju GanatraDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0296-6864

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMicroplastics are emerging as environmental pollutants with potential neurotoxic effects, yet their association with neurological disabilities remains largely unexplored.

methodsIn this cross-sectional study comprising 218 coastal counties in the United States, we compared the self-reported prevalence of cognitive disability, mobility disability, self-care disability, and independent living disability in counties with very high and low marine microplastic levels (MMLs). Unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) were computed using population-weighted quasi-Poisson regression across three different models to examine the relationship between disability prevalence and MMLs.

resultsCounties exposed to very high marine microplastic levels had a higher mean prevalence of self-reported cognitive disability (15.2% vs. 13.9%), mobility disability (14.1% vs. 12.3%), self-care disability (4.2% vs. 3.6%), and independent living disability (8.5% vs. 7.7%) compared to those exposed to low levels (p < 0.001). Regression analyses revealed significantly elevated adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) for cognitive (PR: 1.09 [95% CI: 1.06-1.12], p < 0.001), mobility (PR: 1.06 [1.03-1.10], p < 0.001), self-care (PR: 1.16 [1.11-1.20], p < 0.001), and independent living disability (PR: 1.08 [1.05-1.12], p < 0.001) in counties with very high microplastic exposure compared to those with low exposure.

conclusionsThis study highlights a significant association between marine microplastic pollution and the self-reported prevalence of cognitive, mobility, self-care, and independent living disabilities at the county level. While merely associative, these findings emphasize the urgent need for further investigation into the individual-level health impacts of microplastic exposure and underscore the importance of environmental interventions to mitigate potential risks.

Indexed as

Environmental ExposureMicroplasticsNervous System DiseasesPersons with DisabilitiesWater Pollutants, ChemicalAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMobility LimitationPrevalenceUnited StatesMicroplasticsWater Pollutants, Chemicalcognitive dysfunctionenvironmental exposureexposomemicroplasticspersons with disabilities

Identifiers

PMID40396917
PMCPMC12094031

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.