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Aim

Air pollution may affect cellular and molecular events in the brain via various biological pathways. Exercise enhances neural plasticity and improves cognition partially through its effects on cardiorespiratory fitness. Whether enhanced fitness benefits the brain also when exercise is performed in polluted air remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the interactions between neurocognitive correlates, air pollution and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods

Data from the Czech Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment study-Programme 4 was used. The sample for this presentation included 427 participants aged 40–65 years living in either an area with high air pollution or in an area with low air pollution (control region). Main outcomes were cognitive scores (memory and executive function) and total grey matter volume. Structural neuroimaging was performed using 1.5 T Siemens Magnetom Scanner. Level of …