Unraveling the impact of prenatal air pollution for neonatal brain maturation
Pujol Nuez, Jesús (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Martinez Vilavella, Gerard (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Gómez Herrera, Laura (Universitat de Barcelona)
Rivas Lara, Ioar (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública)
Gómez-Roig, María Dolores (Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu)
Llurba, E. (Instituto de Salud Carlos III)
Blanco Hinojo, Laura (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal))
Cirach, Marta (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Persavento, Cecilia (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Querol, Xavier (Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios Del Agua)
Gascon, Mireia (Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina)
Foraster, Maria (Universitat Ramon Llull. Blanquerna)
Gispert, Juan Domingo (Fundació Pasqual Maragall)
Falcon, Carles (Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina)
Deus Yela, Juan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut)
Dadvand, Payam (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Sunyer Deu, Jordi (Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Early brain development is highly sensitive to environmental influences. While prenatal exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) has been broadly associated with harmful effects, PM also contains trace elements such as iron, copper and zinc, which are essential for brain growth. This study examined both the overall impact of prenatal PM exposure and the specific role of these trace elements on neonatal myelinated white matter-a key marker of brain maturation. This population-based study included 93 neonates recruited from three major hospitals in Barcelona (2018-2021). PM exposure was estimated for the embryonic and late fetal periods using land-use regression models incorporating time-weighted maternal mobility data. MRI was performed at 29 days postnatally. Global myelinated white matter was manually segmented, and automated cortical myelination measures were obtained in 85 cases. Associations were examined using linear regression models with and without adjustment for potential confounders. Higher prenatal PM exposure was associated with lower myelinated white matter content. Trace elements showed a similar pattern, but their associations became nonsignificant after adjusting for overall PM exposure. The findings suggest that prenatal air pollution exposure may delay early myelination. Moreover, no specific associations were identified for iron, copper, or zinc. However, given the dynamic nature of white matter maturation, such delays may not necessarily be detrimental. This study underscores the impact of environmental factors on neonatal brain development and the importance of stringent air quality policies, while emphasizing the need for longitudinal research to assess long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes.
Ajuts:	European Commission 785994 European Commission 874583 European Commission 964827 European Commission 886121 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-01570
Nota:	We extend our acknowledgment to the Health Effects Institute (4959-RFA17-1/18-1 - FRONTIER project); H2020 -EU.3.1.2. (874583 - ATHLETE project), H2020-EU.3.1.1. (GA964827 - AURORA project), the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (886121); Agence nationale de sécurite sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (2019/01/039 - HyPAXE project), AXA Research Fund (MOOD-COVID project), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Regional Development Fund - Maternal and Child Health and Development Network (RD16/0022/0014 and RD16/0022/0015), the AGAUR-Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris de Recerca (2021 SGR 01570 - Population Neuroscience group), the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CB06/02/0041), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Union Next Generation EU - Primary Care Interventions to Prevent Maternal and Child Chronic Diseases of Perinatal and Developmental Origin Network (RD21/0012/0001 and RD21/0012/0003) for funding the umbrella BiSC cohort.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Matèria:	Particulate matter ; Neonates ; Myelination ; Brain development
Publicat a:	Environment International, Vol. 204 (october 2025) , p. 109801, ISSN 1873-6750

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109801
PMID: 40986980

12 p, 3.1 MB

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