Air pollution, especially PM2.5 particles, increases the risk of Lewy body dementia. These particles reach the brain and damage nerve cells and weakening memory. After conducting research on rats, scientists have warned that clean air is essential for brain health.

Air pollution is increasing not only in the country but all over the world. In many places, it has reached a very dangerous level. It is creating problems for people of almost every age. Dr. Xiaobo Mao, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins University in America, warned that pollution is also affecting your mind. Due to pollution, the risk of body dementia is increasing. In this disease, people's memory becomes weak. Scientists said that clean air is important for brain health, which can prevent this disease.

A research has shown that air pollution, especially M2.5 particles, can increase the risk of developing Lewy body dementia. This pollution promotes the deposition of proteins in the brain, which damages nerve cells. This is the reason why people start forgetting their old memories.

Pollution is targeting the brain

Research has shown that pollution's M2.5 particles are very small. These microscopic particles are so small that they can cross the body's defense system, enter the blood stream and even reach the brain. The study says that pollution is not only limited to your nose but it can also reach your neurons. These particles destroy nerve cells when they spread to the brain.

Exposure to airborne particles causes proteins in the brain to clump together, which is a symptom of Lewy body dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. This disease affects people who live in cities more. Here, vehicle smoke and the particles in it cause more harm to them.

How does it affect the brain?

Lewy bodies are clumps of abnormal protein that form in the brain, made up of a protein called alpha-synuclein. This protein is essential for healthy brain functioning, but it can fold in many ways to form a variety of harmful Lewy bodies. These can kill nerve cells and spread throughout the brain to cause devastating diseases.

To see if air pollution could activate Lewy bodies, the team exposed mice to PM2.5 pollution every other day for 10 months. Some of the mice were normal, but others were genetically modified to stop making alpha-synuclein. The results were shocking. In the normal mice, nerve cells died, causing the brain to shrink.

Scientists said that tackling air pollution can give long-term benefits from health, social, climate and economic perspectives. The situation will improve only after improving the air. Everyone will have to work for this.