Laura Fonken, a doctoral student in the Department of Neuroscience at Ohio State University, recently conducted a mouse experiment in collaboration with the Davis Cardiopulmonary Institute. Researchers asked one group of mice to breathe polluted air - imitating human pollution; the other group to breathe filtered fresh air. Six hours a day, five days a week, for a total of 10 months, ran through most rats. The researchers then conducted a five-day experiment on all older mice and found a small hole in two minutes leading to a dark room on a very bright field. They found that mice exposed to polluted air for a long time not only needed more time to learn to dig holes, but also quickly forgot.

　　解剖结果显示，两组小鼠海马区存在显著差异。污染小鼠海马区神经树突变短，树突棘状突变少，细胞结构不够复杂。之前的研究已经将这些变化与学习和记忆的衰退联系起来。

　　Anatomical results showed that there were significant differences in hippocampus between the two groups. The neurodendritic mutations in the hippocampus of contaminated mice were short, the dendritic spinous mutations were few, and the cell structure was not complex enough. Previous studies have linked these changes to the decline in learning and memory.

　　戴维斯研究所还发现，污染空气中的气溶胶能引发系统性炎症，而促炎细胞因子在海马区尤为活跃，而海马区对炎症损伤尤为敏感——结果可想而知。此外，正如劳拉的另一项实验所示，全身炎症也与抑郁症有关。这项研究发表在2011年7月的《分子精神病学》杂志上，揭示了空气污染对大脑的直接影响。

　　The Davis Institute also found that aerosols polluted by air can cause systemic inflammation, and proinflammatory cytokines are particularly active in the hippocampus, which is particularly sensitive to inflammation damage - the results are predictable. In addition, as Laura's other experiment shows, systemic inflammation is also associated with depression. The study, published in the July 2011 issue of Molecular Psychiatry, revealed for the first time the direct effects of air pollution on the brain.

　　2012年11月，在美国老年医学会第65届年会上，南加州大学社会学家詹妮弗·奥舍(Jennifer osher)报告了一项全国性的大型调查，该调查得出的结论是，空气中的细颗粒物(PM2.5)对中老年人的心理能力有严重影响。研究发现,每10微克每立方米PM2.5浓度的增加,有一个0.36智商得分下降——所有参与者的正常平均一年时间更长,认知能力下降0.13点,下跌0.36点意味着三年的年龄。即使在控制了种族、性别、教育水平、吸烟状况、呼吸系统和心血管状况之后，结果也是一致的。

　　In November 2012, Jennifer Osher, a sociologist at the University of Southern California, reported on a large national survey at the 65th annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Association, which concluded that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air had a serious impact on the mental abilities of middle-aged and elderly people. The study found that with the increase of PM2.5 concentration per 10 micrograms per cubic meter, there was a decrease of 0.36 IQ scores - the normal average one-year time for all participants was longer, cognitive ability decreased by 0.13 points, and a decrease of 0.36 points meant three years of age. Even after controlling for race, sex, education, smoking, respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, the results were consistent.

　　面对空气污染，我们如何保护自己

　　How do we protect ourselves against air pollution

　　虽然环境问题的完全取决于全社会和的政策法规，但目前我们主动尽可能减少空气污染的危害:

　　Although the complete solution of environmental problems depends on the policies and regulations of the whole society and the country, at present we take the initiative to reduce the harm of air pollution as much as possible.

　　1. 所以尽量安排户外活动在上午和晚上，避免中午时段;

　　1. So try to arrange outdoor activities in the morning and evening, avoid noon hours;

　　2. 开车时打开空气滤清器。如可能，选择汽车空气净化器;

　　2. Turn on the air filter when driving. If possible, choose automobile air purifier;

　　3.保持房间干燥，避免霉菌——霉菌会漂浮在空气中，被吸入你的身体。

　　3. Keep the room dry and avoid mildew, which floats in the air and is sucked into your body.

　　4. 避免吸烟的地方;

　　4. Avoid smoking places;

　　5. 在家里或办公室打开你的空气净化器。

　　5. Open your air purifier at home or in the office.