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The research found that this effect was especially pronounced in older black adults and those living in low-income neighborhoods.
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Dr Eunyoung Choi, first author of the study and part of the research team, explains: “Our research reveals that cumulative exposure to extreme heat can undermine cognitive health, but it does so unevenly across populations.” This study has been published in the ‘Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health’.
With the heat wave, the probability of suffering a sunstroke or heat stroke increases.
It is presumed that cognitive impairment does not manifest immediately after an isolated episode of heat, but that recurrent or prolonged exposure may be detrimental.
Dr. Virginia Chang, lead author of the study, details: “Cumulative exposure to extreme heat can trigger a cascade of events in the brain, including cell damage, inflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which can deplete cognitive reserve.”
To do this, they analyzed data on nearly 9,500 US adults ages 52 and older, collected over a 12-year period (2006-2018) as part of the Health and Retirement Study, conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. . This study monitored the cognitive function of the participants over time.
In addition to the cognitive data, the socioeconomic circumstances of the neighborhoods in which the respondents lived were analyzed. In addition to this, participants’ cumulative exposure to extreme heat was calculated based on the number of days a specific heat index threshold was exceeded over the 12 years, using historical temperature data from the National Network of United States CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking.
It was found that high exposure to extreme heat was linked to faster cognitive decline in individuals in low-income neighborhoodsbut this relationship was not observed in more prosperous neighborhoods.
The study found that continued extreme heat can worsen cognitive decline among vulnerable groups, particularly black older adults and those living in poor neighborhoods.
In addition, cumulative exposure to extreme heat was found to be associated with more rapid cognitive decline in black older adults, in contrast to white or Hispanic older adults. Since there were not enough participants of other ethnicities and races in the study, it was not possible to include them in this analysis.
Adds Chang: “One possible explanation for this pattern of findings is that older black adults may have disproportionately experienced systemic disadvantage throughout their lives due to structural racism, segregation, and other discriminatory policies, all of which may affect reservation cognitive”.
