A growing body of international research suggests pollution from wildfire smoke can produce cognitive deficits, post-traumatic stress and may even increase the risk of dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Until recently, the effects of wildfires have been studied on patients' lungs, hearts and blood. But several researchers have started looking into how fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke can enter the body and travel to the brain.
"Some particles from wildfire smoke have been shown to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation of the brain," he said in a recent interview. "Hitchhiking on these tiny particulate matter are pieces that are toxic metals — lead from leaded gasoline, iron from brake pads and platinum from catalytic converters," he said in an interview.
He pointed to a July 2018 study published in the journal Environmental Research in which a group of international researchers found that people exposed to air pollution in Mexico City showed Alzheimer's and Parkinson's signatures in their brains. "In short, whether you are a newborn baby or an older adult with Alzheimer's disease, air pollution is likely harmful to your brain," he said.
Exposure to wildfires also caused a decrease in cognitive performance, which is the ability to suppress distractions and focus on the task at hand, said Jyoti Mishra, lead author of the California fire study and associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego.
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