Dokument: The influence of short-term exposure to air pollution on cognitive and motor performance in elderly women
| Titel: | The influence of short-term exposure to air pollution on cognitive and motor performance in elderly women | |||||||
| URL für Lesezeichen: | https://docserv.uni-duesseldorf.de/servlets/DocumentServlet?id=74666 | |||||||
| URN (NBN): | urn:nbn:de:hbz:061-20261016-170726-1 | |||||||
| Kollektion: | Dissertationen | |||||||
| Sprache: | Englisch | |||||||
| Dokumententyp: | Wissenschaftliche Abschlussarbeiten » Dissertation | |||||||
| Medientyp: | Text | |||||||
| Autor: | Al-Joumaily, Obydaa [Autor] | |||||||
| Dateien: |
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| Beitragende: | Prof. Dr. Herder, Christian [Gutachter] Prof. Dr. Schikowski, Tamara [Gutachter] | |||||||
| Stichwörter: | Air pollution, PM2.5, Cognitive Decline, Motor dysfunction | |||||||
| Dewey Dezimal-Klassifikation: | 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften » 610 Medizin und Gesundheit | |||||||
| Beschreibung: | Background: The health impact of short-term exposure to air pollution, including particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5µm (PM2.5) in the elderly, is of growing concern, particularly its influence on neurodegenerative diseases. While long-term exposure is well-documented to impact cognition and motor function, evidence on the specific neurobehavioral effects of short-term exposure remains limited and inconsistent. The
primary objective of this work is to investigate the association between short-term PM2.5 exposure and cognitive and fine motor function in elderly women. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 224 women from the 2017/2018 follow-up of the SALIA cohort, established between 1985 and 1994 in German Ruhrarea and south Muensterland, with 4756 women aged 51-56 at baseline. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and fine motor function was measured using the 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) time. Times for 9HPT were log-transformed before analysis to achieve approximately normality. Short-term exposure to PM2.5 was quantified in exposure windows using daily exposure (Lag 0) as well as averages of lagged exposure (Lag 0-1, Lag 0-7, Lag 0-14, Lag 0-21, and Lag 0-28) to identify delayed effects. Linear and logistic regression models were used to analyse the association between PM2.5 exposure and cognitive and motor performance, as well as declines, with adjustments for potential confounders. Additional analyses were performed to explore effect heterogeneity and assess the robustness of the findings. Results: 224 women from the 2018 follow-up examination had a mean age of 82.8 years with a Standard deviation (SD) of 3.2. The mean MoCA score was 22.2 (SD = 3.6), which is below the normal cognition mean threshold of 26 in the elderly. The geometric mean time for motor function from 9HPT was 23 seconds (SD = 1.2). This is approximately 1.5 seconds slower than the average time for this age group. Median PM2.5 levels across exposure windows varied between 10.9 and 12.8 µg/m³, with interquartile ranges (IQR) spanning from 2.7 to 7.7 µg/m³. In adjusted models, 9HPT showed a positive association at Lag 07, with a 4.42% increase in 9HPT time per 6.13 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 exposure (95% CI: 0.204, 8.816, p = 0.040). At lag 07, a per IQR increase in PM2.5 exposure was associated with an average of 0.34 point increase in MoCA score (95% CI: −0.52 to 1.20); however, this effect was not statistically significant (p = 0.43). Effect estimates for other windows on 9HPT were directionally similar but not statistically significant. Conclusion: While short-term PM2.5 exposure showed no significant impact on cognitive performance in the elderly, as measured by MoCA scores, it was associated with increased 9HPT times, particularly in Lag 07, suggesting potential adverse effects on fine motor function. Significant associations within subgroup analysis underscore the importance of addressing these confounders in environmental neuro-epidemiology. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to further explore the complex interaction between environmental exposure and neurodegenerative outcomes in the elderly. | |||||||
| Lizenz: |  Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International Lizenz | |||||||
| Fachbereich / Einrichtung: | Medizinische Fakultät | |||||||
| Dokument erstellt am: | 16.10.2026 | |||||||
| Dateien geändert am: | 16.10.2026 | |||||||
| Promotionsantrag am: | 16.06.2026 | |||||||
| Datum der Promotion: | 08.10.2026 |
