About this Research Topic
It is known that environmental toxin exposure has detrimental effects on brain health, including congenital malformations, rewiring of brain circuitries, and cancers. Such changes can render individuals to the development of neurodegenerative or respiratory diseases. Environmental toxins include airborne pollutants (cigarette smoke, bushfire smoke, traffic-related air pollution), and indoor air pollutants, such as formaldehyde. In addition, epidemiological studies clearly show that in-utero environmental challenges can cause a life-long detrimental impact on offspring’s susceptibility to diseases. For instance, maternal cigarette smoke exposure results in brain inflammation and oxidative stress that result in brain underdevelopment and long-term neurological consequences in offspring. Understanding the mechanisms of how environmental toxin exposure impacting on the brain can provide insight into novel targets for interventions.
The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the possible impacts of different environmental exposure on brain health (including subsequent neurodegenerative disease processes), discuss potential mechanisms involved, preventative measures, and treatment options. This can be different exposures of toxins including but not limited to tobacco smoking, e-cigarette smoking, air pollution, alcohol. It is well known that exposure to environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke and air pollution can increase the risks of diseases. For instance, particulate matter sized <2.5um can lead to cognitive impairment and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Particulate matter can travel through the blood placenta barrier during pregnancy, leading to early life exposure. The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the possible impacts of different environmental exposure on in-utero health, discuss potential mechanisms and treatment options for prevention and subsequent diseases.
Research on any environmental toxin will be considered and themes of particular interest to this Research Topic include but are not limited to:
• Research on any types of direct and in-utero environmental toxin exposures (e.g., e-cigarette, tobacco cigarette, air pollution)
• Effect of environmental exposures on the development of neurological diseases, such as changes in glial cell activities and integrity, and apoptosis, or changes in neurotransmitters in brain subregions.
• Changes in synaptic plasticity leading to changes in cognitive behavior such as learning and memory
• Neurodevelopment in children such as structural, molecular, and epigenetic changes, potential pathway that lead to increased risk of diseases such as ADHD, autism and hypoxic injury, etc.
• Molecular mechanisms (including epigenetics or -omics changes) underlying the changes in cognitive and motor functions due to direct or in-utero environmental toxin exposures.
• Correlation of in vivo and in vitro research in humans.
The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the possible impacts of different environmental exposure on brain health (including subsequent neurodegenerative disease processes), discuss potential mechanisms involved, preventative measures, and treatment options. This can be different exposures of toxins including but not limited to tobacco smoking, e-cigarette smoking, air pollution, alcohol. It is well known that exposure to environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke and air pollution can increase the risks of diseases. For instance, particulate matter sized <2.5um can lead to cognitive impairment and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Particulate matter can travel through the blood placenta barrier during pregnancy, leading to early life exposure. The aim of this Research Topic is to cover the possible impacts of different environmental exposure on in-utero health, discuss potential mechanisms and treatment options for prevention and subsequent diseases.
Research on any environmental toxin will be considered and themes of particular interest to this Research Topic include but are not limited to:
• Research on any types of direct and in-utero environmental toxin exposures (e.g., e-cigarette, tobacco cigarette, air pollution)
• Effect of environmental exposures on the development of neurological diseases, such as changes in glial cell activities and integrity, and apoptosis, or changes in neurotransmitters in brain subregions.
• Changes in synaptic plasticity leading to changes in cognitive behavior such as learning and memory
• Neurodevelopment in children such as structural, molecular, and epigenetic changes, potential pathway that lead to increased risk of diseases such as ADHD, autism and hypoxic injury, etc.
• Molecular mechanisms (including epigenetics or -omics changes) underlying the changes in cognitive and motor functions due to direct or in-utero environmental toxin exposures.
• Correlation of in vivo and in vitro research in humans.
Keywords: Cigarette smoke, E-cigarette vaping, Air pollution, Brain health, Neurodegenerative diseases, prenatal exposure, epigenetics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
