Determining the Impact of Air Pollution on the Developing Brain
NeuroSmog
NeuroSmog: Determining the Impact of Air Pollution on the Developing Brain
1 other identifier
observational
800
1 country
1
Brief Summary
- Background: Recent studies have linked exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) to neurodevelopmental outcomes but the findings are mixed and mechanisms are unclear. We aim to determine the impact of PM on the developing brain of schoolchildren in Poland, a European country characterized by very high levels of air pollution. The investigators aim to determine the impact of PM on the developing brain of schoolchildren in Poland, a European country characterized by very high levels of air pollution.
- Study area: 19 towns in three voivodeships (Lesser Poland, Silesian, Opole) in the southern Poland. To reduce confounding by urbanicity and at the same time, to achieve sufficient contrasts in PM levels without too high logistic costs, towns were selected by size (big and small) and by PM levels (high, medium and low).
- Design: Case-control study with 800 children recruited over two school years, with two population controls per one ADHD case. Suspected cases will be recruited in specialized facilities and presumably ADHD-free children will be recruited in primary schools.
- Exposure assessment: Poland-wide PM and other air pollutants' grids will be created for the years 2006 to 2021 using statistical models to incorporate land use data, estimates from transport models, satellite observations and air pollution measurements from Polish monitoring network. Prenatal, early-life, lifelong and concurrent exposures will be calculated.
- Psychological testing: Every child and their parents will complete a series of psychological tests and interviews that will be conducted during their three visits to the recruitment facility.
- Neuroimaging: Each participant will undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning session that will be performed accordingly to the Human Connectome Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development project recommendations. Scanning will be performed on a single scanner in Krakow.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for all trials
Started Oct 2020
Typical duration for all trials
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
September 22, 2020
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
October 1, 2020
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
October 5, 2020
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 31, 2022
CompletedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 31, 2023
CompletedOctober 5, 2020
September 1, 2020
2.2 years
September 22, 2020
September 28, 2020
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (6)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD and comorbidities will be assessed by Conners 3 questionnaire
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Cognitive functioning
Memory, attention, and executive functions measurement will be assessed by Diagnostic battery for cognitive functions evaluation (PU1)
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Attention control
Attention Network Test (ANT) will be used.
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Sustained and selective attention
Computer Conners Continuous Performance Task (CPT) will be used.
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Inhibition control
Conditioned Approach Response Inhibition Task (CARIT) will be used as part of MRI measurements.
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Inhibition control
Go/No Go task will be used as part of MRI measurements.
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Secondary Outcomes (5)
Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ)
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Family functioning
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Relationships with siblings
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Behavioural, emotional, and social problems
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Behavioural problems
October 1, 2020 until December 31, 2022
Study Arms (2)
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Cases
Children without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Population controls
Interventions
Every child will have three sessions with psychologists and be diagnosed as having or not having ADHD. Every child will be invited to Krakow to undergo MRI measurements, including resting-state and event-related functional MRI, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), and T1/T2 structural MRI.
Eligibility Criteria
800 children aged 10-13 will be sampled to the NeuroSmog study. Both ADHD cases and population controls will be enrolled, two control per case. Cases will be recruited in specialized facilities and controls will be randomly sampled in randomly selected 30 primary schools across 19 big and small towns in Lesser Poland, Silesian and Opole voivodeships in the southern Poland.
You may qualify if:
- Attending school in one of the specified towns
- Age 10-13 years (4th-6th grade)
- Native Polish speaker
- Normal or above intelligence
- Standard educational opportunities
- Normal or corrected to normal visual and auditory acuity
- No gross sensory deficit, no gross behavioural problems
- No history of neurological disease
You may not qualify if:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- FAS
- FAE
- Intellectual disability
- Metabolic disorders
- Genetic disorders
- Epilepsy
- Cerebral palsy
- Mood disorders
- Tourette Syndrome
- Other illnesses including pharmacotherapy
- Apgar score \< 8
- Low birth weight (below 2500 g)
- Preterm birth (below 35th weeks of gestation)
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Institute of Psychology
Krakow, 30-060, Poland
Related Publications (2)
Sitnik-Warchulska K, Izydorczyk B, Sawicki A, Markevych I, Szwed M, Lipowska M. A Dyadic Perspective on ADHD: Adolescent-Parent Reports of Behavioural Problems and Family Functioning. Clin Psychol Psychother. 2026 Jan-Feb;33(1):e70230. doi: 10.1002/cpp.70230.
PMID: 41603676DERIVEDCompa M, Walczak B, Baumbach C, Kolodziejczyk J, Mysak Y, Lipowska M, Izydorczyk B, Sitnik-Warchulska K, Markevych I, Szwed M. Association of Socioeconomic Status With IQ and Attention in School Children in Poland, a Country With Relatively Low Socioeconomic Differences. Dev Psychobiol. 2025 Jul;67(4):e70058. doi: 10.1002/dev.70058.
PMID: 40534211DERIVED
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- CASE CONTROL
- Time Perspective
- RETROSPECTIVE
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Leader of the NeuroSmog consortium
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
September 22, 2020
First Posted
October 5, 2020
Study Start
October 1, 2020
Primary Completion
December 31, 2022
Study Completion
December 31, 2023
Last Updated
October 5, 2020
Record last verified: 2020-09