Long-term PM2.5 and O3 reduced cognitive function as measured through a Lumosity gaming app in young adults
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Background and Aim A growing body of evidence indicates that exposure to air pollution affects cognitive performance; however, few studies have assessed this in the context of repeated measures within a large group of individuals. To evaluate the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and a measure of cognitive function we utilized cognitive performance data from the mobile brain training app Lumosity. Methods The study cohort included 29,091 Lumosity users in the contiguous US who completed 20 repetitions of the Lost in Migration game between 2017 and 2018. Game scores reflect a user’s focus and ability to filter information and avoid distracting information. Air pollution data included long-term ambient PM2.5 and O3, 365 day rolling averages with reference to gameplay date. Air pollution data from Federal Reference Method monitors was aggregated to the ZIP code (three-digit) level to match the geography included in the game data set. Generalized linear models were used to examine the association between long-term ambient air pollution and focus score after adjusting for meteorology, time trend, age, gender, device, education, and local socioeconomic factors and urbanicity. Results A 5 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with lower user focus scores (-0.50% 95% CI: -0.80, -0.15). No association was observed with O3. Stratifying on age, greater associations were observed in young adults (18-29 years old) with reduced focus score with PM2.5 (-1.25% 95% CI: -2.25, -0.25) and a 0.01 ppm increase in O3 (-2.93% 95% CI: -4.64, -1.20). In the oldest age group (60-90 years old), PM2.5 decreased scores by -0.33% (95% CI: -0.75, 0.09) and O3 significantly increased scores by 1.22% (95% CI: 0.54, 1.88). Conclusions We observed that elevated long-term PM2.5 and O3 were associated with decreased focus score in young adults. This abstract does not reflect EPA policy.