{"id":46592,"date":"2026-08-15T21:36:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prizrenpost.com\/en\/study-microplastics-may-be-linked-to-nerve-damaging-diseases\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T21:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T19:36:28","slug":"study-microplastics-may-be-linked-to-nerve-damaging-diseases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prizrenpost.com\/en\/study-microplastics-may-be-linked-to-nerve-damaging-diseases\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Microplastics may be linked to nerve-damaging diseases"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/prizrenpost.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/thumbs_b_c_e630c0d41b98966ae64dc82835e15909.jpg\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;margin-bottom:20px\"><\/p>\n<p>According to a recent Italian study, higher concentrations of nano and microplastics in the central nervous system may be associated with an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), reports Anadolu.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers measured plastic particles in blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples of 24 patients newly diagnosed with ALS and 20 people without neurological disease.<\/p>\n<p>The study, led by researchers from the University of of Modena and Reggio Emilia and published in the journal Brain Communications, is the first to compare such concentrations between ALS patients and healthy individuals.<\/p>\n<p>The average concentration of microplastics in the cerebrospinal fluid was almost twice as high in ALS patients, with 1,022 particles per milliliter, compared with 532.1 particles per milliliter in the control group.<\/p>\n<p>Serum concentrations were also higher in patients with ALS, although the difference was smaller.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers found that higher concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid were associated with a greater likelihood of ALS, while serum concentrations were associated with the disease only after a certain exposure threshold was passed.<\/p>\n<p>In ALS patients, higher serum concentrations were also associated with higher levels of neurofilament light chain, a biomarker of nerve cell damage.<\/p>\n<p>According to the researchers, The findings raise the possibility that nano and microplastics contribute to the degeneration of motor neurons through direct toxic effects or through other pollutants carried by these particles.<\/p>\n<p>However, study coordinator Marco Vinceti stressed that whether these pollutants cause toxic effects in the nervous system &#8220;remains to be determined&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers cautioned that the small, case-control study with the control group, could not establish causality or rule out \u201creverse causation,\u201d the possibility that changes associated with ALS may have led to greater accumulation of microplastics.<\/p>\n<p>Differences in lifestyle or exposure to other chemicals may also have influenced the results.<\/p>\n<p>ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that damages the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements. Its underlying causes remain largely unknown.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"margin:30px 0\">\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#666\">Source: <strong>prizrenpost<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a recent Italian study, higher concentrations of nano and microplastics in the central nervous system may be associated with an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), reports Anadolu. Researchers measured plastic particles in blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples of 24 patients newly diagnosed with ALS and 20 people without neurological disease. 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