News > Study suggests brief exposure to air pollution has rapid impacts on brain

Study suggests brief exposure to air pollution has rapid impacts on brain

A new study has shown that common levels of traffic pollution can impair human brain function in only a matter of hours. The study was the first to show in a controlled experiment using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) that exposure to diesel exhaust disrupts the ability of different areas of the human brain to interact and communicate with each other. The study provides the first evidence in humans, from a controlled experiment, of altered brain network connectivity induced by air pollution.