Work

Invited Perspective: Blue Skies and Alzheimer’s Disease

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: If a fresh brain is cut in half, two blue spots can be observed in the brainstem: the locus coeruleus (LC), or "sky-blue place."This bilateral nucleus was first described by Félix Vicq d'Azyr in 1786 1 but received its name in 1812, 2 incidentally 7 years after the pigment cerulean blue was invented.3 The pigment was popularized in the 1860s by the Impressionists, with the bright cerulean puffs of smoke spewing from the engine in Claude Monet's La Gare Saint-Lazare a prime example (Figure 1).The LC is the principle brain site of noradrenaline synthesis, and it is one of the first regions to be impacted by Alzheimer's disease.4,5 The potential effects of Monet's blue smoke on the nucleus has now been demonstrated by Puckett et al. 6 in this issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.In 381 older twin brothers, higher levels of residential air pollution exposure was related to lower signal-to-noise ratio-a hazier magnetic resonance image (MRI)-of the LC.Air pollution is a well-established risk factor for cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality, 7,8 and accumulating evidence indicates that air pollutants increase the risk of developing dementia.9 Exposure to particles smaller than 2.5 μm (PM 2:5 ) is epidemiologically linked to Alzheimer's disease, age-associated brain atrophy, 10 and decreased cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.11 PM 2:5 may reach the brain via a leaky blood-brain barrier and/or the nasal olfactory pathway to the trigeminal nerves, Figure 1.La Gare Saint-Lazare, 1877.Claude Monet (1840-1926).

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives

DOI: 10.1289/ehp15478

Author: Clas Linnman

Institution: Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Air Quality and Health Impacts

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,500