Want to Give Your Brain Function a Boost? Buy an Air Purifier

A new study found HEPA-filtered air helped improve brain function for people in high-pollution areas.

BY MOSES JEANFRANCOIS, NEWS WRITER @MOSESJEANS

Having a specific air purifier could really improve your brain health and function. 

HEPA, high efficiency particulate air, is a form of air purifier that removes or reduces harmful particle matter from the air. A recent study tried HEPA air filtration for residents near highways and tracked cardiovascular risks. The report found that using a HEPA air purifier at home for one month led to measurable improvements in cognitive performance for adults aged 40 and older. 

The study, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, is looking to track the influence of heavy air pollution and how to mitigate it. The study’s original iteration had a stall during 2021 due to precautions required by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This study has the potential to shed light on the value of using portable air filtration in homes close to highways to reduce exposure to TRAP and whether doing so has benefits for cardiovascular health,” reads the researchers’ first article. 

In the journal Scientific Reports, researchers explained that they hope to further examine the health impacts of air filtration. “Exposure to particulate matter is associated with adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular and neurological diseases. However, there are few intervention studies that have examined short-term changes in air particulate exposure and cognitive outcomes,” they wrote. 

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To track the study, Researchers studied 119 adults aged 30–74 living in areas with high traffic‑related air pollution due to nearby highways. Participants were given a HEPA purifier for one month and a sham purifier for another month, and then were tested on brain function. Participants 40 years and older completed the executive function test about 12% faster with the real HEPA purifier than the sham device. 

After each month, participants completed standardized tests of memory, motor speed, executive function, and mental flexibility. For visual memory and motor speed, researchers measured how quickly participants could draw lines connecting sequential numbers. For executive function and mental flexibility, researchers measured how quickly participants could alternate between numbers and letters in sequence. 

Authors noted that there is still little clarity on how air purifiers improve cognition, but cited the reduction of white matter in the brain as one possibility. Researchers also noted that air pollution begins to affect cognitive function around age 40, with its effects becoming more potent with age. But the age-related impacts were not studied decisively, as only 10 of their participants were over the age of 60.  

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