Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons^™

Ambient Air Pollution Exposure And Increasing Depressive Symptoms In Older Women: The Mediating Role Of The Prefrontal Cortex And Insula, Andrew J. Petkus, Susan M. Resnick, Xinhui Wang, Daniel P. Beavers, Mark A. Espeland, Margaret Gatz, Tara Gruenewald, Joshua Millstein, Helena C. Chui, Joel D. Kaufman, Joann E. Manson, Gregory A. Wellenius, Eric A. Whitsel, Keith Widaman, Diana Younan, Jiu-Chiuan Chen

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Exposures to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) have been associated with the emergence of depressive symptoms in older adulthood, although most studies used cross-sectional outcome measures. Elucidating the brain structures mediating the adverse effects can strengthen the causal role between air pollution and increasing depressive symptoms. We evaluated whether smaller volumes of brain structures implicated in late-life depression mediate associations between ambient air pollution exposure and changes in depressive symptoms. This prospective study included 764 community-dwelling older women (aged 81.6 ± 3.6 in 2008–2010) from the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) Magnetic …