A forensic autopsy study found overlapping abnormal proteins in young people exposed to urban air pollution
Original source
Alzheimer neuropathological change, α-synuclein and transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa expression in children and young adult brains from forensic autopsies: Value for early measurement of abnormal protein expression prevalence in neurodegenerative diseases. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Studied in
- Human
Related topics
A study of 189 forensic autopsies found Alzheimer disease-related changes, alpha-synuclein and TDP-43 pathology in children and young adults from Mexico City. The findings included TDP-43 alongside other abnormal proteins, but the study did not assess amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or treatment effects.
Why this matters
TDP-43 is relevant to ALS research, but these results do not show that air pollution causes ALS or change treatment for people with ALS. The findings may help researchers measure abnormal protein patterns in young people, although that possible use still needs further study.
Limitations and context
This was an observational forensic-autopsy study, including 179 Mexico City participants aged 40 or younger and 10 low-pollution controls. It measured abnormal protein expression rather than ALS or clinical disease, and the authors proposed further studies in other populations. The source is a primary journal article, not evidence of a treatment benefit.