Association between cognitive function and ambient particulate matters in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

Increasing studies have discussed how ambient air pollution affects cognitive function, however, the results are inconsistent, and such studies are limited in developing countries. To fill the gap, in this study, we aimed to explore the effect of ambient particulate matters (PM₁, PM₂.₅, PM₁₀) on cognitive function of middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. A total of 7928 participants older than 45 were included from CHARLS collected in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Cognitive function was evaluated with two dimensions, the first one was episodic memory and the second dimension was mental status. The total score of cognitive function was the sum of above two dimensions (0–31 points). Participants' exposure to ambient particulate matters was estimated by using a satellite-based spatiotemporal model. Linear mixed models were applied to analyze the impact of PM₁, PM₂.₅, and PM₁₀ on cognition function. Further interaction analyses were applied to examine the potential effect modifications on the association. After adjusting for confounding factors, we found an IQR increase in all three ambient particulate matters was significantly associated with a decrease in cognitive function score, with the greatest effect in the 90-day exposure window for PM₁ (β = −0.227, 95%CI: −0.376, −0.078) and PM₂.₅ (β = −0.220, 95%CI: −0.341, −0.099). For ambient PM₁₀, the most significant exposure window was 60-day (β = −0.158, 95%CI: −0.274, −0.042). Interaction analyses showed that the PM-cognitive function association could be modified by gender, region, alcohol consumption, smoking, education level, chronic diseases, and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, exposure to ambient particulate matter for a certain period would significantly decrease cognitive function among middle-aged and elderly Chinese. Furthermore, individuals who were female, or lived in the midland of China were more susceptible to the adverse effect of particulate matters.