A study published in Environment International has found that exposure to air pollution during pregnancy is associated with slower brain maturation in newborns.

Myelination, a critical process in early brain maturation, involves coating nerve fibers with myelin to improve the efficiency of neural communication. According to the study, newborns whose mothers were exposed to higher levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) during pregnancy showed signs of delayed myelination. These findings are significant because both a slowdown and an acceleration in brain maturation can potentially be harmful to long-term cognitive and developmental outcomes.

To conduct the study, researchers recruited pregnant women receiving prenatal care. The team monitored the levels of air pollution the women were

See Full Page