Affiliations: [a] Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| [b] University of Missouri Research Reactor, Columbia, MO, USA
| [c] Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Puja Agarwal, PhD, Rush University Medical Center, 1700w Van Buren, Suite: 245, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Tel.: +1 312 563 0151; E-mail: puja_agarwal@rush.edu.
Abstract: Background:Bromine is a naturally occurring element that is widely present in the human environment in various chemical forms primarily as flame retardants, pesticides, and water treatments. Objective:In this exploratory study, we investigated the association of brain bromine concentrations on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) neuropathology, cerebral infarcts, and Lewy bodies. Methods:The study was conducted in 215 deceased participants of the Memory and Aging Project, a clinical-pathologic cohort study. Brain bromine levels were measured using instrumental neutron activation analysis. Multiple brain regions were assessed for diffuse and neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, cerebral macro-and microinfarcts, and Lewy bodies. Standardized measures of AD pathology (Braak, CERAD, NIA-Reagan, global AD pathology) were computed. Results:In linear regression models, the higher brain bromine levels were associated with more AD neuropathology (Braak (p trend = 0.01); CERAD (p trend = 0.02); NIA-Reagan (p trend = 0.02). Conclusion:Bromine accumulation in the brain is associated with higher level of AD neuropathology. The potential deleterious effects of this element on AD need further exploration.
