{
  "abstract": "Background: Children are uniquely vulnerable to ambient air pollution. Yet, data remain limited relating standardized academic metrics with neurobehavioral outcomes measured by more in-depth testing, and how neurobehavioral outcomes are associated with non-criteria pollutants—such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and elemental carbon (EC).\n\nMethods: Utilizing data from the Children’s Health and Air Pollution Study (CHAPS) in Fresno, California, we evaluated neurobehavioral outcomes in a cohort of highly exposed children ( n = 193, ages 7–18). Prenatal and year of life one exposures to PM 2.5 , PM ₁₀ , O ₃ , NO ₂ , NO x , PAH ₄₅₆ and elemental carbon (EC) were estimated daily. Outcome measures included the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), standardized test scores, and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and urinary 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) biomarkers. Correlations between the various outcomes were assessed, and linear and distributed lag models (DLM) associated outcomes with pollutant exposures.\n\nResults: Third-grade test scores demonstrated robust correlations with the NIH Toolbox total and crystallized cognition composites ( r ~ 0.55–0.60) and moderate correlation with BDNF ( r = 0.35). Linear models revealed that first-trimester exposure to traffic-related air pollutants was associated with elevated aggressive and rule-breaking behavior. First-year of life exposure across all pollutants was associated with depressed BDNF levels with a susceptibility window around 5 to 6 months of life.\n\nConclusion: Early-life exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with persistent differences in neurocognitive and behavioral outcomes measured into adolescence. The strong concordance between school-administered standardized test scores and resource-intensive neurobehavioral tools indicates that academic datasets might provide proxy endpoints for assessing environmental neurotoxicity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Stephanie Holm Consulting",
    "Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley",
    "Division of Occupational, Environmental and Climate Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco",
    "Central California Asthma Collaborative",
    "Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Stephanie M. Holm"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nina Holland"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "John R. Balmes"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Tim Tyner"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Weihong Guo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Anabelle Garza"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Debra Manzo Garcia"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Briseida Vasquez-Vasquez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Sierra Loomis"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Elizabeth M. Noth"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5q7epycp4kj2z.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13715657",
  "id": "5q7epycp4kj2z",
  "issns": [
    "2296-2565"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714/full",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2307|Air Quality and Health Impacts"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221793508",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714/pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13715657",
  "pmid": "42953788",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5q7epycp4kj2z.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714/full"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T00:20:41Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42953788",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953788"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:53Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13715657",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1970714"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2307|Air Quality and Health Impacts",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Neurobehavioral assessments and biomarkers in school children who are highly exposed to air pollution",
  "title_text": "Neurobehavioral assessments and biomarkers in school children who are highly exposed to air pollution",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5q7epycp4kj2z",
  "venue": "Frontiers in Public Health",
  "versions": []
}