Speaker
Description
Respiratory system and nervous system are intimately connected with each other in such a way that respiratory dysfunction can directly or indirectly lead to damages in the cerebral vasculature resulting in central nervous system (CNS)-related disorders. In the current day and age, abundant air pollution can exacerbate diseases in the respiratory system. Among the different air pollutants the primary pollutant is cigarette smoke (CS) due to its over-commercialization. As a response to CS, the lungs produce macrophages that alter the inflammatory signaling with the alveolar epithelial cells. Additionally, the immunomodulatory functioning of the lungs gets disturbed causing infiltration of inflammatory cells. So, it can be understood that CS acts as an inducer of inflammation and also of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, Parkinson’s disease, etc. This is because the pro-inflammatory molecules that are secreted in the alveolar epithelial cells are also released by the brain cells (microglia and astrocytes). These molecules hamper with the normal functioning of the brain and in the long term can cause the CNS-related disorders. Thus this presentation aims to explore the harmful effects of CS in neurological disorders as well as its underlying mechanism.
Keywords: - Cigarette smoke, Respiratory Inflammation, Neurological disorders