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Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models
Cacciottolo M, Wang X, Driscoll I, Woodward N, Saffari A, Reyes J, Serre ML, Vizuete W et al.. Translational psychiatry, 2017-01-31
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plain-language summary
Exposure to particulate matter (PM) in the ambient air and its interactions with APOE alleles may contribute to the acceleration of brain aging and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Neurodegenerative effects of particulate air pollutants were examined in a US-wide cohort of older women from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) and in experimental mouse models. Residing in places with fine PM exceeding EPA standards increased the risks for global cognitive decline and all-cause dementia respectively by 81 and 92%, with stronger adverse effects in APOE ɛ4/4 carriers. Female EFAD transgenic mice (5xFAD +/- /human APOE ɛ3 or ɛ4 +/+ ) with 225 h exposure to urban nanosized PM (nPM) over 15 weeks showed increased cerebral β-amyloid by thioflavin S for fibrillary amyloid and by immunocytochemistry for Aβ deposits, both exacerbated by APOE ɛ4. Moreover, nPM exposure increased Aβ oligomers, caused selective atrophy of hippocampal CA1 neurites, and decreased the glutamate GluR1 subunit. Wildtype C57BL/6 female mice also showed nPM-induced CA1 atrophy and GluR1 decrease. In vitro nPM exposure of neuroblastoma cells (N2a-APP/swe) increased the pro-amyloidogenic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). We suggest that airborne PM exposure promotes pathological brain aging in older women, with potentially a greater impact in ɛ4 carriers. The underlying mechanisms may involve increased cerebral Aβ production and selective changes in hippocampal CA1 neurons and glutamate receptor subunits.
What this study adds
Evidence grade: Moderate
In older US women from the WHIMS cohort, living where fine particulate air pollution exceeded EPA standards was associated with an 81% higher risk of global cognitive decline and a 92% higher risk of dementia, with stronger effects in women carrying two APOE ɛ4 copies. Separately, mice exposed to urban nanosized particles for 15 weeks developed more brain β-amyloid (worse with APOE ɛ4) and shrinkage of memory-region (CA1) nerve branches — the latter even in normal mice.
Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Cacciottolo, M., Wang, X., Driscoll, I., Woodward, N., Saffari, A., Reyes, J., et al. (2017). Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models. Translational psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.280
Vancouver
Cacciottolo M, Wang X, Driscoll I, Woodward N, Saffari A, Reyes J, et al. Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models. Translational psychiatry. 2017. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.280. PMID: 28140404.
BibTeX
@article{cacciottolo2017-28140404,
author = {Cacciottolo, M. and Wang, X. and Driscoll, I. and Woodward, N. and Saffari, A. and Reyes, J. and Serre, M. L. and Vizuete, W. and others},
title = {{Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models}},
journal = {Translational psychiatry},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1038/tp.2016.280},
pmid = {28140404},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.280}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- We suggest that airborne PM exposure promotes pathological brain aging in older women, with potentially a greater impact in ɛ4 carriers.
Why it matters
In older US women from the WHIMS cohort, living where fine particulate air pollution exceeded EPA standards was associated with an 81% higher risk of global cognitive decline and a 92% higher risk of dementia, with stronger effects in women carrying two APOE ɛ4 copies. Separately, mice exposed to urban nanosized particles for 15 weeks developed more brain β-amyloid (worse with APOE ɛ4) and shrinkage of memory-region (CA1) nerve branches — the latter even in normal mice. The authors suggest air pollution may promote pathological brain aging; the human result is an association, not proof of cause.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 53 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 55 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Translational psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Translational Psychiatry: journal h-index 180 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2017 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 433 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 39.4 citations a year over 11 year(s) since 2017 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 26.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 17 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 123 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author J C Chen holds only 1 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: institution h-index 1,674 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 28140404) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 53 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 53 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 55 out of 100. |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.280
- PubMed: 28140404
- Original source →
- Free full text: Translational Psychiatry →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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