Dirty air, ageing brains: How midlife pollution exposure may accelerate cognitive decline

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Could years of commuting through city smog be leaving lasting marks on our brains? A major UK birth cohort study suggests that midlife exposure to nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants may lead to smaller hippocampal volumes and slower cognitive processing in later life, even after accounting for social and educational factors.

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Climate change and mental health: what do we know, and what don’t we know?

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Peter Coventry examines a big new umbrella review which signals the need for robust assessment and quantification of the mental health impacts of climate change.

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Exposure to air pollution increases mental health service use, according to new UK study

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Wajeeha Raza and Peter Coventry review a retrospective cohort study exploring the association between air pollution exposure and mental health service use among individuals with first presentations of psychotic and mood disorders.

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Is air pollution associated with poor mental health?

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Ioannis Bakolis summarises a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the association between air pollution exposure and the risk of mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety and suicide.

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Preventing mental illness, at long last

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Peter Byrne, the Public Mental Health lead at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, welcomes a new BMA report entitled: “Tackling the Causes – promoting public mental health and investing in prevention”.

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