Neurology: Outdoor exercise must be adapted to local conditions, and strenuous physical activity under air pollution may exacerbate brain health hazards!

Air pollution (AP) and physical activity (PA) are differentially associated with a wide range of health effects, although their interactions are poorly understood
.

Specifically, both were associated with neural outcomes: PA was associated with reduced dementia risk, cognitive enhancement, and structural brain volume; while AP was associated with higher dementia risk, poorer cognitive performance, and brain volume

Air Pollution (AP) Physical Activity (PA)

Increased respiratory rate during exercise may increase the deposition of particulate matter in the lungs
.

There is evidence that the combined effects of AP and PA may be biologically significant, especially in the brain

There is evidence that the combined effects of AP and PA may be biologically significant, especially in the brain

Recently, researchers investigated the relationship between PA and AP and brain structural volume in the UK Biobank (UKB), the largest epidemiological cohort combining AP, neuroimaging, and objective measurement of PA

From 2006 to 2010, the UK Biobank (UKB) recruited more than half a million adult participants
.

Wrist accelerometers, multimodal MRI of T1 images and T2 FLAIR data, and land use regression were used to assess vigorous physical activity (VigPA) , structural brain volume, and air pollution (AP) in subgroups of the full sample, respectively

Vigorous Physical Activity (VigPA)

• The research subjects were 8600 people with an average age of 55.
  55 years (SD=7.
  46)
  .
  
• After adjusting for multiple tests, in the overall model, VigPA was positively correlated with gray matter (GMV) and negatively correlated with white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), while NO2, PM2.
  5 absorbance, and PM2.
  5 were negatively correlated with GMV
  .
  
• The absorbance of NO2 and PM2.
  5 interacted with VigPA on WMHV (FDR-corrected interaction p value=0.
  037)
  .
  
• The associations between these air pollutants and WMHs were stronger in participants with higher VigPA
  .
  
• Likewise, VigPA was negatively correlated with WMHV in regions with low NO2 and PM2.
  5 absorbance, whereas VigPA was negatively correlated with WMHV in regions with high NO2 and PM2.
  5 absorbance
  .
  

The research subjects were 8600 people with an average age of 55.
55 years (SD=7.
46)
.

After adjusting for multiple tests, in the overall model, VigPA was positively correlated with gray matter (GMV) and negatively correlated with white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), while NO2, PM2.
5 absorbance, and PM2.
5 were negatively correlated with GMV
.

After adjusting for multiple tests, in the overall model, VigPA was positively correlated with gray matter (GMV) and negatively correlated with white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV), while NO2, PM2.
5 absorbance, and PM2.
5 were negatively correlated with GMV
.

The absorbance of NO2 and PM2.

Source: Furlong MA, Alexander GE, Klientidis YC, Raichlen DA.

Furlong MA, Alexander GE, Klimentidis YC, Raichlen DA.
Association of Air Pollution and Physical Activity With Brain Volumes [published online ahead of print, 2021 Dec 8].
Neurology.
2021;10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000013031.
doi:10.
1212/WNL.
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