MedPage Today (9/8, George) reports an autopsy study suggests that “worse outdoor air quality was tied to worse Alzheimer’s disease pathology in older adults.” Researchers observed that “among 602 autopsy cases, higher exposure to fine particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) before death raised the odds of more severe Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change.” They highlighted that in “a subset of 287 cases with Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) scores, higher PM2.5 exposure also was associated with greater cognitive and functional impairment. Overall, 63% of the association between higher PM2.5 exposure and greater cognitive and functional impairment was mediated by Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.(SOURCE: APA Headlines)