WTC neurotoxicant exposure links to cortical thinning

In a neuroimaging study of 218 human responders and unexposed controls aged 44 to 65 years, researchers examined how aerosolized pollutant exposure relates to brain structure. The team measured the World Trade Center Neurotoxicant Exposure Severity Index (WTC-NESI) and set cortical thickness as the primary outcome. Statistical methods included unadjusted correlation analyses, multiple linear regression to adjust for correlates, and vertex-wise analyses with threshold-free cluster enhancement to adjust for cross-vertex clustering in atrophy. Cortical thickness was associated with WTC-NESI (R = -0.38, p 2 ≥ 0.07). The authors concluded that the findings offer a reference for mapping airborne pollutant impacts and suggest that mitigating exposures could have long-term benefits for cerebral health.