Tiny plastic particles can accumulate in the human body, as well as in animals in the ocean. While this is known, a recent study revealed that **[microplastics in the brain](https://noticiasambientales.com/ciencia/los-cientificos-alertan-de-la-invasion-de-microplasticos-en-1-300-especies/)** can reach higher levels than in the **[kidney or liver](#)**.
The concentrations detected in post-mortem samples in 2024 were higher than those in 2016, as pointed out in the report published in the journal *Nature Medicine*.
## Microplastics in the brain: worrying figures
Although the potential **[health implications](#)** remain unclear, these findings highlight a consequence of the increase in **[global concentrations of environmental plastics](#)**, according to the scientists responsible for the research.
In this regard, they note that the amount of **[nanoparticles and microplastic particles](#)** has exponentially increased in the last 50 years.
**[Matthew Campen](#)** and his health sciences team at the **[University of New Mexico](#)** (USA) conducted the research. They used innovative techniques to analyze the distribution of micro and nanoparticles in liver, kidney, and brain tissue samples from individuals who underwent autopsies in **2016 and 2024**.
However, brain samples taken at that time, all derived from the frontal cortex region, contained substantially higher concentrations of plastic particles than liver and kidney tissues.
The team also found that the liver and brain samples from 2024 had significantly higher concentrations of micro and nanoplastic particles compared to those from 2016.
To reach their conclusions, the researchers **[analyzed a total of 52 brain samples](#)** (28 in 2016 and 24 in 2024); they detected these particles in all of them and found similar concentrations in liver and kidney tissue samples obtained in **2016**.
## Increase over the years
They then compared these findings with brain tissue samples from earlier periods (1997-2013) and observed that there were **[higher concentrations of plastic particles](#)** in the more recent tissue samples.
The scientists noted a higher concentration (10 times more) of **[micro and nanoplastic particles in 12 brains](#)** of individuals with a documented diagnosis of dementia compared to those without.
However, regarding this, the authors themselves point out that the findings do not establish a causal relationship between plastic particles and **[health effects](#)**.
They also suggest that some variations in brain samples could be due to **[geographical differences](#)**, as the specimens were taken in **New Mexico** and locations on the east coast of the United States.
Therefore, they say, more long-term studies with larger and more diverse populations are needed to determine the trends of accumulation of micro and nanoparticles and their potential implications for health.
These results highlight the critical need to better understand the pathways of exposure, absorption, and elimination, and the potential health consequences of plastics in human tissues, particularly in the brain, conclude the researchers in their article.
According to Campen, plastic concentrations in the brain seemed to be higher than in the liver or kidneys, and higher than previous reports for **[placenta and testicles](#)**.
“The findings should sound the alarm,” he states in a university press release.
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