Air pollution linked to learning and memory problems, depression

Long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain, as well as learning and memory problems and even depression, new research in mice suggests.

In the new study, mice were exposed to either filtered air or polluted air for six hours a day, five days a week for 10 months - nearly half the lifespan of the mice. The polluted air contained fine particulate matter, the kind of pollution created by cars, factories and natural dust.

After 10 months of exposure to the polluted or filtered air, the researchers performed a variety of behavioral tests on the animals. Mice exposed to polluted air had fewer spines in parts of the hippocampus, shorter dendrites and overall reduced cell complexity.

Source:

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/pollutionbrain.htm