Effects of air pollution exposure on social behavior: a synthesis and call for research

There is a growing literature from both epidemiologic and experimental animal studies suggesting that exposure to air pollution can lead to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we suggest that effects of air pollutant exposure on the brain may be even more broad, with the potential to affect social decision-making in general. First, we briefly describe how exposure to air pollution can affect the brain, then present how the neurobiological substrates of social behavior are vulnerable to air pollution. For future research, we suggest a comparative approach that utilizes diverse model systems to probe the effects of air pollution on a wider range of social behaviors, brain regions, and neurochemical pathways.

Impact/Purpose

While it has been well-established that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution increases risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory disease, there is a growing literature showing that air pollutant exposure also impacts neural function and social-neurobehavioral outcomes in humans. Experimental studies in animal models have supported the epidemiologic evidence, showing that in rodents, inhalation of air pollutants can lead to characteristics of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, if exposure to air pollution can affect the incidence or severity of these disorders, even at ambient levels, how might air pollutants affect social behavior more generally? We believe this is an important question with the potential to have both societal consequences for humans and implications for wildlife. In humans, air pollution has been associated with reduced social competence (i.e., ability to effectively handle social interactions) and increased violent behavior, but there is a notable absence of experimental research on the effects of air pollutant exposure on social decision-making and social behavior more broadly. Here, we briefly describe how exposure to air pollution can affect the brain, then present how the neurobiological substrates of social behavior are vulnerable to air pollution. For future research, we suggest a comparative approach that utilizes diverse model systems to probe the effects of air pollution on a wider range of social behaviors, brain regions, and neurochemical pathways.

Citation

Weitekamp, C. AND H. Hofmann. Effects of air pollution exposure on social behavior: a synthesis and call for research. Academic Press Incorporated, Orlando, FL, 20(72):1-13, (2021). [DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00761-8]

DOI: Effects of air pollution exposure on social behavior: a synthesis and call for research