NeuroCOGNitive impact of Air pollution exposures in Childhood: Assessment of air pollution effects on the development of cognition and behaviour in children

ended

Neurological disorders such as Autism Spectral Disorders (ASD) in children are lifelong conditions for which there is no cure,treatment options are very limited AND create huge burdens on children, families and society. Potential long-term consequences of poor cognitive performance and presence of autistic traits are poor social development, low educational achievement, diminished economic productivity and unemployment, mental health issues, and increased risk of antisocial behaviour. In the case of ASD, a lifelong disorder, there is no cure and limited treatment options are available. Therefore, it is essential to identify modifiable risk factors to prevent their onset and prevalence. Air pollution is postulated as a risk factor since it is believed to cause neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and neurodegenerative pathology. Traffic noise shows inconclusive associations with cognitive performance. The experience in cognitive and neurobehavioral development epidemiologic analysis and wide-scale modelling at the host institution, with different modelling approaches and existing models available for UK and London at the partner´s institutions, and the experience of exposure assessment methods of the fellow dovetail nicely to accomplish the goal of the COGNAC project. This is to explore the associations between air pollution and noise with cognitive performance and the presence of autistic traits in children using a large children cohort. The innovative aspects of this proposal are combining multi-pollutant and noise exposure, using very detailed maps of these environmental stressors and assessing effects at critical windows of exposure. The scientific impact of this fellowship results from the identification of the effect of air pollution and noise in cognitive development and the presence of autistic traits in children. The skills acquired in this fellowship will be decisive fo establishing me in one of the leaders in environmental health applied to neurocognition.