{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Genetic evidence supports a causal relationship between air pollution and brain imaging-derived phenotypes.
{Author}: Wang Q;Li S;Cai B;Zhong L;Liu F;Wang X;Chen T;
{Journal}: Ecotoxicol Environ Saf
{Volume}: 281
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Jul 1
{Factor}: 7.129
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116664
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Observational studies have reported associations between air pollutants and brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs); however, whether this relationship is causal remains uncertain.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>We conducted bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to explore the causal relationships between 5 types of air pollutants (N=423,796 to 456,380 individuals) and 587 reliable IDPs (N=33,224 individuals). Two-step MR was also conducted to assess whether the identified effects are mediated through the modulation of circulating cytokines (N=8293).<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>We found genetic evidence supporting the association of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with mean intra-cellular volume fraction (ICVF) in the left uncinate fasciculus (IVW β=-0.42, 95 % CI -0.62 to -0.23, P=1.51×10-5) and mean fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left uncinate fasciculus (IVW β=-0.42, 95 % CI -0.62 to -0.21, P=4.89×10-5). In further two-step MR analyses, we did not find evidence that genetic predictions of any circulating cytokines mediated the association between NOx and IDPs.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>This study provides evidence for the association between air pollutants and brain IDPs, emphasizing the importance of controlling air pollution to improve brain health.