The combination of air pollution and extreme heat threatens the brain health of children and young adults, especially in urban settings where access to air conditioning and purification is scarce. Emerging evidence demonstrates that such exposure is linked to neuroinflammation, impaired attention and memory, altered brain connectivity, and long-term risk for mental and neurological disorders.

In cities such as Delhi, India, persistently high levels of PM2.5 air pollution and black carbon are combining with intensifying heatwaves to threaten the cognitive functioning of children and young adults. Children are uniquely vulnerable due to their developing brains, higher exposure relative to body size, and limited adaptive capacity.

This project seeks to create localized data linking exposure to air pollution and heat with cognitive outcomes in children in two geographically and climatically different locations in Delhi. Integrating personal exposure monitoring, neurocognitive assessment, and contextual data, the study aims to understand the effects of air pollution, extreme heat, and brain health in children and young adults.

“We aim to elevate brain health as a core outcome of climate and environmental policy,” said Principal Investigator Burcin Ikiz, PhD – Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry and Behavior, Stanford University. “By identifying when and where exposures most affect cognition, this work can inform practical, solution-oriented interventions, from safer school environments to heat and air pollution adaptation strategies. More broadly, we hope to integrate brain health into global climate and public health decision-making.”

Principal Investigators:

Burcin Ikiz, PhD, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry and Behavior, Stanford University

Desiree LaBeaud, MD, MS, Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, Stanford School of Medicine

Funders:

Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health

Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute