SINDHU JHA
A new study conducted in mice has revealed that microplastics are likely to block blood circulation, causing impaired brain function. The study, published in Science Advances, used imaging techniques to work out the mechanism through which microplastics impact the brain.
Microplastics are plastic particles measuring less than 5 mm in diameter. They originate from small plastic pellets produced for specific purposes, and when larger plastic products in the environment degrade, weather, and fragment over time. These micron-sized particles are everywhere, from oceans to land and from Antarctic ice to human settlements. They can be transported through the atmosphere, eventually making their way into our bodies.
The researchers tried to find answers by imaging microplastics in the mouse brain while the animal was awake. The imaging tracked microplastic movement in the body and observed these particles in the blood vessels of the mouse cerebral cortex, a part of the brain that controls awareness, communication, memory, sensation, understanding, and the initiation of voluntary movement.
The study suggested that immune cells detect these microplastics and engulf them in the blood stream. This, in turn, obstructs blood vessels, affecting blood flow, impairing brain function and affecting cognitive function in mice. The body is also unable to clear this for at least a week. Further, microplastics could also potentially block movement in mice. These animals also display abnormalities in neurobehavioral regulation, resembling depressive states.
