Microplastics have been found in human brain tissue for the first time : their presence has been documented in eight individuals at the level of the olfactory bulbs the structures at the base of the brain responsible for the initial processing of information coming from the nose. Until now, however, microplastics had only been found in the human brain inside blood clots, not in actual tissue . The discovery, which also opens up new scenarios for neurodegenerative diseases, is published on Jama Network Open by an international research group led by the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil.
“Although microplastics have been detected in various human tissues, their presence in the human brain has not been documented until now, and this raises important questions about potential neurotoxic effects and the mechanisms by which microplastics could reach brain tissues “, the researchers write.
The study shows that the microplastics found in the brain are mostly polypropylene fibers and particles: it is one of the most widespread polymers, used in a wide variety of items ranging from packaging to car components to medical devices. The particle sizes ranged from 5.5 to 26.4 thousandths of a millimeter (micrometers), practically a quarter of a human hair.
Previous research has already shown that air pollution particles travel up the olfactory pathways to the brain: this latest study suggests that microplastics may use the same route, passing through small holes in the lamina cribrosa just below the olfactory bulb.
“ The identification of microplastics in the nose and now in the olfactory bulb along with vulnerable anatomical pathways, reinforces the idea that the olfactory pathway is an important entry site for exogenous particles into the brain “, conclude the researchers.
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