Cited by 141Air Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Justice and Health DisparitiesIndoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure

Association between Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution and Working Memory and Attention

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Rivas, Ioar, Basagaña, Xavier, Cirach, Marta, López-Vicente, Mónica, Suades-González, Elisabet, Garcia-Esteban, Raquel, Álvarez-Pedrerol, Mar, Dadvand, Payam +1 more·2019·Environmental Health Perspectives

Abstract

Background: Although previous studies have reported negative associations between exposure to air pollution and cognition, studies of the effects of prenatal and postnatal exposures in early childhood have been limited. Objectives: We sought to assess the role exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during different prenatal and postnatal windows may play in children’s cognitive development at school age. Methods: Within the Brain Development and Air Pollution Ultrafine Particles in School Children (BREATHE) Project, we estimated residential PM2.5 exposures by land use regression for the prenatal period and first seven postnatal years of 2,221 children from Barcelona, Spain. The participants (8.5±0.9y old) completed computerized tests assessing working memory, attentiveness, and conflict network during four visits in 2012–2013. We used linear mixed effects and distributed lag models to assess the period of exposure to PM2.5 in association with cognitive development. Results: Inverse associations were identified between PM2.5 exposure during the fifth and sixth postnatal years and working memory, with boys showing much higher vulnerability. Regarding attention functions, exposure to higher PM2.5 levels during the prenatal period and from the fourth postnatal year were associated with a reduction in conflict network performance, though we found no association with attentiveness. The overall estimated cumulative effect of a 10 μg m−3 increase in PM2.5 resulted in a reduction in the working memory d′ score of −19.50 [95% confidence interval (CI): −31.44, −7.57] points and an increase in the conflict attentional network of 11.31 (95% CI: 6.05, 16.57) milliseconds, indicating a poorer performance. Conclusions: Early life exposure to PM2.5 was associated with a reduction in fundamental cognitive abilities, including working memory and conflict attentional network. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3169

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  • Prenatal PM2.5 exposure has been correlated with reduced fundamental cognitive abilities, including working memory and conflict attentional network.

    “Prenatal PM2.5 exposure has also been correlated with reduced fundamental cognitive abilities, including working memory and conflict attentional network [29].”

    From Air pollution and children’s health—a review of adverse effects associated with prenatal exposure from fine to ultrafine particulate matter (2021) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Abstract Results associate prenatal PM2.5 exposure with poorer conflict-network performance, but identify the fifth and sixth postnatal years—not prenatal exposure—as the windows associated with reduced working memory. The Discussion also links cumulative prenatal-plus-childhood exposure to working memory, which does not establish an association for prenatal exposure alone. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Authors
Rivas, I., Basagaña, X., Cirach, M., López-Vicente, M., Suades-González, E., Garcia-Esteban, R., Álvarez-Pedrerol, M., Dadvand, P., & Sunyer, J.
Affiliations
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
  • ISGlobal (Barcelona Institute for Global Health) , Barcelona, Catalonia,
  • Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona (ES)
Corresponding author
Rivas, Ioar
Venue
Environmental Health Perspectives
Published
2019-05-01
Volume
127
Issue
5
Pages
57002-57002
ISSN
  • 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-9924
OpenAlex
W2944501274
Cited by
140
References
79
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 4
FWCI
7.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Health Perspectives (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RECERCAT (Consorci de Serveis Universitaris de Catalunya) (publishedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Repositori digital de la UPF (Universitat Pompeu Fabra) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (JCI-2011-09937)
  • FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (268479)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Air Quality and Health Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
Keywords
air pollution, PM2.5, prenatal exposure, postnatal exposure, early childhood, working memory, attention, conflict networks, cognitive development, sex differences, land use regression
MeSH terms
Air Pollutants, Attention, Child, Environmental Exposure, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Particle Size, Spain, Particulate Matter

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