2024-03-05 15:03:00
Australian researchers have discovered that magnetite particles present in polluted air can trigger the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
According to a publication in the journal Environment International, a team of scientists from the University of Technology Sydney conducted a study aimed at studying the effects of magnetite on cognitive function. Magnetite is an iron oxide compound commonly found in industrial emissions and has been found in significant quantities in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
In an experiment with laboratory mice, both healthy and genetically susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers exposed them to tiny particles of iron, magnetite and diesel hydrocarbons for four months. It turned out that magnetite causes the most severe and persistent pathologies, which, in turn, can provoke the development of Alzheimer’s disease.
Exposure to magnetite leads to the loss of neuronal cells in the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memory, as well as in the somatosensory cortex, which is responsible for processing signals from the senses. It was also found that mice with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease had increased formation of amyloid plaques.
Magnetite is a common air pollutant formed from high-temperature combustion reactions. The main sources of these pollutants are vehicle emissions, forest fires and emissions from coal-fired power plants.
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