Proceedings of the International Biological Conference in Mongolia 2025 (IBCM 2025)

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Neurotoxic Smog: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Long-term Ambient Air Pollution Exposure’s Impact on MRI Biomarkers of Brain Structure

Authors
Khulan Ganzorig1, *, Nominzul Ganbold1, Saran-Erdene Ganzorig1, Ariunzaya Nyamjav1, Enkhjin Altangagnuur2, Bulganzaya Purevdorj2, Munkhsoyol Erkhembaatar3
1School of Medicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
2School of Bio-Medical, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
3DDS., PhD., Head, Department of Physiology, School of Bio-Medicine, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
*Corresponding author. Email: chrystalkhulan@gmail.com
Corresponding Author
Khulan Ganzorig
Available Online 17 September 2025.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-837-0_19How to use a DOI?
Keywords
air pollution; magnetic resonance imaging; white matter hyperintensities; brain volume; neurodegeneration; cognitive decline
Abstract

Recent evidence shows air pollution as a critical environmental factor linked to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with increased risk of disease like Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and stroke, highlighting the need to identify which brain regions are mostly affected. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the impact of permanent exposure to ambient air pollution on structural brain changes identified through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We mainly focused on neuroimaging markers such as white matter hyperintensity (WMH), brain volume reduction, and cortical atrophy, that are highly associated with memory and cognitive function. A systematic search was conducted in databases - PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals up to March 11, 2025. Out of 1,003 initially retrieved articles, 9 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The findings indicate a significant association between PM2.5 exposure and WMH (OR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.27–1.54), and reduced brain volume (OR = 0.8659, 95% CI: 0.8300–0.9033). Moreover, according to Pearson correlation air pollution was positively correlated with WMH (r = 0.62) and negatively with cognitive function (r = -0.95). These results highlight air pollution as a substantial risk factor for neurostructural damage. Thus, public health interventions targeting air quality improvement are urgently needed.

Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Biological Conference in Mongolia 2025 (IBCM 2025)
Series
Advances in Biological Sciences Research
Publication Date
17 September 2025
ISBN
978-94-6463-837-0
ISSN
2468-5747
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-837-0_19How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2025 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Khulan Ganzorig
AU  - Nominzul Ganbold
AU  - Saran-Erdene Ganzorig
AU  - Ariunzaya Nyamjav
AU  - Enkhjin Altangagnuur
AU  - Bulganzaya Purevdorj
AU  - Munkhsoyol Erkhembaatar
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/17
TI  - Neurotoxic Smog: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Long-term Ambient Air Pollution Exposure’s Impact on MRI Biomarkers of Brain Structure
BT  - Proceedings of the International Biological Conference in Mongolia 2025 (IBCM 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 274
EP  - 295
SN  - 2468-5747
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-837-0_19
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-837-0_19
ID  - Ganzorig2025
ER  -