{"id":201104545,"date":"2011-05-17T14:22:25","date_gmt":"2011-05-17T14:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=201104545"},"modified":"2011-05-17T14:22:25","modified_gmt":"2011-05-17T14:22:25","slug":"this-is-your-brain-on-cars-oh-and-your-lungs-and-heart-and-gut-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.baltimorespokes.org\/?p=201104545","title":{"rendered":"This Is Your Brain on Cars\u2014Oh, and Your Lungs and Heart and Gut, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

from Streetsblog Capitol Hill by Catherine Lutz
\n<\/p>\n

Gerontologists in a laboratory at the University of Southern California exposed a group of mice<\/a> to the same atmospheric conditions that humans encounter when driving along the freeway. Horrifyingly, they discovered that the mice\u2019s brains showed the kind of swelling and inflammation associated with diseases such as Alzheimer\u2019s. The researchers didn\u2019t super-dose to get these results: the mice were exposed to freeway air for the equivalent of 15 hours a week\u2013 less than the 18.5 hour average<\/a> Americans spend in their cars. Jokes aside about getting those darn mice off the road, the study suggests that driving less can reduce our risk of brain damage.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

The UCLA mouse study joined other recent reports that highlight the variety of ways in which remaining overly reliant on the private automobile is self-destructive. But these reports should also make clear that changes in individual behavior can alleviate some of the problems. Here\u2019s just a sampling:<\/p>\n