Study Links Microplastic Exposure to Alzheimer's Disease in Mice (uri.edu) 15
Micro- and nanoplastic particles "infiltrate all systems of the body, including the brain," notes the University of Rhode Island, "where they can accumulate and trigger Alzheimer's-like conditions, according to a new study by researchers in the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy."
ScienceDaily shares the announcement: After a previous study that showed how microplastics can infiltrate all systems of the body — including the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful substances as small as viruses and bacteria — University of Rhode Island pharmacy assistant professor Jaime Ross expanded the study to determine the brain health impacts of the plastic toxins. Her findings indicate that the accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in the brain can lead to cognitive decline and even Alzheimer's disease, especially in those who carry genetic risk factors.
Ross' latest study, published recently in the journal Environmental Research Communications, examined mice that had been genetically modified to include the naturally occurring gene APOE4, a strong indicator of Alzheimer's risk making people 3.5 times more likely to develop the disease than those who carry the APOE3 variant of the gene that is passed from parents to offspring... Ross and her team exposed two groups of mice — one with the APOE4 variant and one with APOE3 — to micro- and nanoplastics in their drinking water over a period of three weeks. The tiny particles from polystyrene — among the most abundant plastics in the world, found in Styrofoam take-out containers, plastic cups and more — infiltrated the mice' organs, including the brain, as expected...
Ross' team then ran the mice through a series of tests to examine their cognitive ability, beginning with an open-field test, in which researchers put a mouse in a chamber and allow it to explore at will for 90 minutes. Ordinarily, a mouse will hug the walls, naturally attempting to hide from potential predators. However, after microplastic exposure, the APOE4 mice — especially the male mice — tended to wander more in the middle of the chamber and spend time in open space, leaving themselves vulnerable to predators...
The results are concerning enough to warrant further study into the cognitive decline caused by exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, which are among the most prominent environmental toxins to which people are routinely exposed... Ross is continuing to expand her research into the topic and encourages others to do so, in the hope of leading to better regulation of the toxins.
ScienceDaily shares the announcement: After a previous study that showed how microplastics can infiltrate all systems of the body — including the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from harmful substances as small as viruses and bacteria — University of Rhode Island pharmacy assistant professor Jaime Ross expanded the study to determine the brain health impacts of the plastic toxins. Her findings indicate that the accumulation of micro- and nanoplastics in the brain can lead to cognitive decline and even Alzheimer's disease, especially in those who carry genetic risk factors.
Ross' latest study, published recently in the journal Environmental Research Communications, examined mice that had been genetically modified to include the naturally occurring gene APOE4, a strong indicator of Alzheimer's risk making people 3.5 times more likely to develop the disease than those who carry the APOE3 variant of the gene that is passed from parents to offspring... Ross and her team exposed two groups of mice — one with the APOE4 variant and one with APOE3 — to micro- and nanoplastics in their drinking water over a period of three weeks. The tiny particles from polystyrene — among the most abundant plastics in the world, found in Styrofoam take-out containers, plastic cups and more — infiltrated the mice' organs, including the brain, as expected...
Ross' team then ran the mice through a series of tests to examine their cognitive ability, beginning with an open-field test, in which researchers put a mouse in a chamber and allow it to explore at will for 90 minutes. Ordinarily, a mouse will hug the walls, naturally attempting to hide from potential predators. However, after microplastic exposure, the APOE4 mice — especially the male mice — tended to wander more in the middle of the chamber and spend time in open space, leaving themselves vulnerable to predators...
The results are concerning enough to warrant further study into the cognitive decline caused by exposure to micro- and nanoplastics, which are among the most prominent environmental toxins to which people are routinely exposed... Ross is continuing to expand her research into the topic and encourages others to do so, in the hope of leading to better regulation of the toxins.
Growing body of evidence of damage to humans (Score:3)
There is a growing body of evidence which shows that microplastics are literally everywhere in our environment and are infiltrating all living things.
Lots of evidence to humans... Alzheimer's, cancer, metabolic disorders.
Unfortunately, the plastics industry is fighting back to protect their profits. There was recently an attempt to control plastic pollution with an international treaty but this was effectively sabotaged by the industry.
Isn't capitalism great?
Re: (Score:1)
> Isn't capitalism great?
Capitalism doesn't let you buy laws, that's Corporatism, a subset of Fascism, which is in turn a subset of Socialism.
A proper Capitalist systems speaks to economics, not poltiics.
Reconstruction US, Post-Mao China, Post-Soviet Russia all embraced capitalist economics to lift the vast majority of their population out of abject poverty.
Societies which did the opposite mostly killed their middle class ans then half the population starved to death.
Re: (Score:1)
> Isn't capitalism great?
Capitalism doesn't let you buy laws, that's Corporatism, a subset of Fascism, which is in turn a subset of SoCIAliSm.
Hilarious take, bro. So much BS there, I can't be arsed addressing them all.
Did they ... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There isn’t a living thing on this planet without detectable levels of micro plastics. That makes a control group extremely difficult.
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No. But they are pointing to it as one new added cause.
There are a lot of things that cause dementia. Like head injuries in football, which has only been around 150 years. Or motorcycles, automobiles, basically this is another vector on top of brain injury which is part of the human experience.
But reducing dementia by determining causes and reducing exposure should always be goal. Shouldn't it?
Re: (Score:2)
Back then they chalked it up to just being old or it fell under the senile category.
Amplifier. (Score:2)
It's important to recognize that microplastics are not the cause of Alzheimer’s disease but that bioaccumulated/biomagnified microplastics in your brain can result in similar symptoms. They also indicate that it can make the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease worse. However, Alzheimer’s disease remains something that is distinct from this.
That said, it is entirely plausible that microplastics are degrading people's neurological capabilities (especially memory recall) on a statistical level bu
Wonder if anyone is looking at autism links too .. (Score:2)
Plastic from the water in developing brains from in utero forward.
Maybe the risk is light, Alzheimer happens to the old after a life of exposure and building up a deposit.
Can a nano filter catch this stuff? Or distillation?
... or made them _smarter_? (Score:3)
Regular mice hugged the walls for protection from predators .... ... micro-plastic mice were more cognitively aware and knew there were no predators in the environment.
Re: (Score:2)
Or the APOE4 variant mice realized that they were giving their lives for a poorly designed experiment. They just figured, "Screw it" and stood out where they figured an owl would end it all.
The study concentration was 1000x what is typical (Score:2)
According to the paper, the mice were given drinking water with about 0.125 mg/mL of microplastics.
Typical drinking water consumed by humans, contains (at the high end) about 0.0001 mg/mL of microplastics.
That's a 1,250x more concentrated dose that was given to the mice.
In terms of health effects, the level of concentration is everything.
I get *why* they gave the mice this high dosage. But we need to be careful drawing alarming conclusions from it.