The Influence of Urban Air Pollution on Neurobehavioral Disorders

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurotoxicity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 77

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Life Sciences, Madeira University, Campus Universitário da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Interests: bioaerossols monitoring; human health impacts of air pollutants exposure
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is growing evidence that urban air pollution may affect human behaviour. Some gaseous air pollutants typically monitored in the urban environment have been said to cause abnormal human behaviours; however, there are still many uncertainties with respect to this association. It is believed that air pollution may have an impact on a broad range of neurobehavioral disorders. Disordered behaviours such as drug abuse, depression, and even suicide have been correlated with ambient air pollution. It has also been hypothesized that environmental pollutants are correlated with drug addiction and that people exposed to air pollutants may become more susceptible to the effects of drugs. Notwithstanding, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these effects have not yet been clarified.

It is an established fact that various disorders related to mental health tend to be more prevalent in populations living in urban areas, which are associated with higher levels of atmospheric pollution. In addition to air pollution, there are other aggravating factors that can impact health, such as urbanization, traffic, noise levels, and sedentarism, among others.

Despite not fully knowing the components of air pollution, researchers have established that these pollutants can trigger neuroinflammatory processes in the human brain and can contribute to the development of mental health problems. The purpose of this Special Issue of Toxics, therefore, is to broaden the knowledge of the influence air pollutants have on mental health in urban areas via environmental exposure. We are pleased to invite you to submit original papers, reviews, and short communications that focus on single or complex psychoactive compounds and their impacts on the neurological system. The articles may include elements of the main theme spanning from epidemiological to molecular aspects and may propose threshold limits of exposure for health surveillance purposes.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Irene Camacho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • neurobehavioral disorders
  • neurobiological mechanisms
  • neuroinflammatory processes
  • psychoactive substances
  • urban air pollution
  • urban environments

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This special issue is now open for submission.
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