Polluting the Brain

You might not have heard of them, but you’ve inhaled them: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals churned out by cars, burning coal, cigarettes, and charred foods. Now, researchers have found that prenatal exposure to PAHs is strongly correlated with brain abnormalities in children. They measured exposure during pregnancy for 40 babies and followed up with MRI scans of the brains of those children aged seven to nine. Their results revealed an association between prenatal PAH exposure and reductions in white matter – which facilitates communication between brain regions – on the surface of the left hemisphere. The image shows disturbance to white matter (purple) in the brain of a child heavily exposed to PAHs during pregnancy. This reduction is associated with slower information processing and increased incidence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It was a small study but the findings raise concerns about the effects of airborne pollutants on brain development.

Written by Daniel Cossins

Daniel Cossins

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As a freelance science writer, Dan's work has been published in award-winning magazines including BBC Focus, Wired UK, Cosmos, BBC Knowledge, BBC History and Men's Health.

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• Image by The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, USA
• Originally published under a Creative Commons Licence
• Research published in JAMA Psychiatry, March 2015