Untersuchungen ergaben, dass die vorgeburtliche Belastung durch Umweltverschmutzung mit einer geringeren kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit bei Neugeborenen verbunden ist. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen, wie wichtig es ist, die Belastung durch Luftverschmutzung zu reduzieren, insbesondere während der Schwangerschaft, um die neurologische Entwicklung zu schützen.

Exposure to pollution reduces cognitive performance

The analysis found that higher prenatal exposure to air pollutants leads to lower novelty preference in visual memory tasks, indicating lower cognitive performance in newborns. The strongest associations were observed for black carbon, PM2.5, and copper content in PM2.5. For all pollutants, associations were stronger in boys than in girls, suggesting potential sex-specific vulnerability.

„Several biological mechanisms may explain how prenatal exposure to air pollution affects neurodevelopment. Pollutants can cross the placental barrier, triggering systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in the fetus, which may interfere with brain development,“ notes Jordi Sunyer, BiSC project coordinator and senior author of the study.

Public health implications
These findings add to growing evidence that air pollution not only harms lung and cardiovascular health but also affects neurodevelopment. In this sense, a previous study by the same team showed that prenatal pollution exposure is associated with changes in fetal brain structures.

„Our results confirm that the prenatal period represents a critical window of vulnerability to environmental exposures and reinforce the need for stricter environmental policies and targeted measures to protect the health of pregnant women and children,“ emphasizes Joan Birulés, researcher at the University of Barcelona and one of the study’s authors. 

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260127/Decoding-the-impact-of-pollution-on-infant-recognition.aspx