Research is giving us a clearer picture of how environmental exposures may intersect with brain health. From microplastics detected in human brain tissue to studies of air pollution and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers, researchers are asking new questions about environmental exposures, TPE and brain health.
Taken together, these findings are opening an important conversation about the environment around us, what circulates within us and how both may factor into long-term cognitive health.
On October 15, MDLifespan’s Brain Health Webinar will bring together experts in environmental medicine, neurology and Therapeutic Plasma Exchange to explore what we’re learning and where the research is headed next.
Why Environmental Exposures Are Becoming Part of the Brain Health Conversation
Brain health is shaped by a wide range of factors.
Age and genetics matter, but so do cardiovascular health, metabolic health, sleep, lifestyle and the environment around us. Researchers are increasingly examining environmental exposures as another potentially important part of that picture.
That includes the air we breathe, the plastics we use and substances we may encounter repeatedly through food, water, consumer products and our surroundings.
The questions researchers are asking have become increasingly specific: Which environmental substances make their way into the human body? Can they reach the brain? How are certain exposures associated with cognitive health? And what can be done to reduce the substances circulating in the bloodstream?
Those questions are helping environmental medicine and brain-health research move closer together.
During MDLifespan’s Brain Health Webinar, environmental medicine expert Dr. Lyn Patrick will explore what current research is revealing about environmental exposures, toxicants and the brain.
What Does Air Pollution Research Tell Us About Brain Health?
Air pollution is one area where researchers are looking beyond its established effects on respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Research from Emory University has examined associations between residential exposure to ambient and traffic-related air pollution and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers measured in cerebrospinal fluid.
Researchers found associations between certain measures of air-pollution exposure and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers.
These findings add to a growing body of research examining environmental exposure as one of the potentially modifiable factors involved in long-term brain health.
For a deeper look at this research, read MDLifespan’s article on air pollution and Alzheimer’s risk.
What Are Scientists Finding About Microplastics in the Human Brain?
Microplastics are no longer simply an environmental concern. Researchers are finding them within the human body, including the brain.
A 2025 study published in Nature Medicine analyzed brain, liver and kidney tissue and detected micro- and nanoplastics in all three.
The researchers found substantially higher measured concentrations in brain tissue than in liver or kidney tissue. They also observed higher concentrations in brain samples from people with documented dementia.
The study provides an important piece of the emerging environmental-health picture: micro- and nanoplastics can accumulate in human brain tissue, and researchers are actively investigating what that accumulation may mean for neurological health.
The relationship between microplastics and dementia remains an area of active investigation, particularly as researchers work to understand why these particles accumulate, how the body clears them and how long-term exposure may affect human health.
Read more about the research in MDLifespan’s Microplastics in the Brain article.
What Does Inflammation Have to Do With Brain Health?
Inflammation is another important part of the brain-health conversation.
Inflammatory processes influence immune function, cellular signaling and the body’s response to injury and stress. Researchers are also studying neuroinflammation across a range of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Environmental exposures add another dimension to this research.
Certain environmental toxicants have been studied for their potential effects on oxidative stress, inflammatory pathways and neurological health. At the same time, symptoms such as brain fog, memory changes and difficulty concentrating can have many potential causes, making clinical evaluation important.
This is where Dr. Syed Asad‘s neurological perspective becomes especially valuable.
A board-certified neurologist with more than 25 years of experience in neurological care, Dr. Asad will help put cognitive changes, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and environmental health into a broader clinical context during the October discussion.
You can also explore MDLifespan’s guide to brain fog, fatigue, inflammation and toxins.
What Is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange is an established medical procedure that removes and replaces a patient’s plasma.
During TPE, blood is separated into plasma and cellular components. The plasma is removed, the blood cells are retained, and an appropriate replacement fluid, commonly albumin, is used before the cellular components are returned to the patient.
This gives TPE a particularly interesting mechanism: it allows substances circulating within plasma to be removed directly from the bloodstream.
TPE has been used in clinical medicine for decades and has recognized applications across a number of medical conditions.
More recently, researchers have been investigating what plasma exchange may mean in other areas, including Alzheimer’s disease, environmental toxin burden and healthy aging.
What Is Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange is an established medical procedure that removes and replaces a patient’s plasma.
During TPE, blood is separated into plasma and cellular components. The plasma is removed, the blood cells are retained, and an appropriate replacement fluid, commonly albumin, is used before the cellular components are returned to the patient.
This gives TPE a particularly interesting mechanism: it allows substances circulating within plasma to be removed directly from the bloodstream.
TPE has been used in clinical medicine for decades and has recognized applications across a number of medical conditions.
More recently, researchers have been investigating what plasma exchange may mean in other areas, including Alzheimer’s disease, environmental toxin burden and healthy aging.
Has Therapeutic Plasma Exchange Been Studied in Alzheimer's Disease?
Yes, TPE has been studied in Alzheimer’s Disease. One of the most significant investigations is the AMBAR study, a randomized phase 2b/3 clinical trial involving 347 randomized participants with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers investigated plasma exchange with albumin replacement across three active treatment groups compared with a sham-control group.
Participants in the treatment groups underwent six weeks of weekly conventional plasma exchange followed by 12 months of monthly low-volume plasma exchange. Some treatment groups also incorporated intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG.
AMBAR gave researchers an opportunity to examine whether modifying the circulating plasma environment could influence functional and cognitive outcomes in people already experiencing Alzheimer’s disease.
What Did the AMBAR Study Find?
The results helped make plasma exchange an important area of continued Alzheimer’s research.
| Measure | Reported finding | Context |
|---|---|---|
| ADCS-ADL | 52% less decline | Functional co-primary endpoint; P=.03 |
| ADAS-Cog | 66% less decline | Cognitive co-primary endpoint; P=.06 |
| Moderate Alzheimer’s subgroup | 61% less decline on ADCS-ADL and ADAS-Cog | Strongest findings were observed in this subgroup |
| Mild Alzheimer’s subgroup | Different response on the co-primary outcomes | Results varied according to disease severity |
The functional endpoint reached statistical significance, while the cognitive co-primary endpoint showed a 66% difference with a reported P value of .06.
For participants with moderate Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported a 61% reduction in decline across the ADCS-ADL and ADAS-Cog measures.
These findings have helped fuel continued interest in the relationship between plasma exchange, the circulating environment and cognitive health.
MDLifespan explores the AMBAR findings in greater detail in The AMBAR Alzheimer’s Study — And What It Means for Brain Health Today.
What Does the Research Say About TPE and Brain Health?
This is where the research becomes particularly relevant to the environmental-health conversation.
A 2026 study published in the Journal of Clinical Apheresis examined circulating microplastics before and after Therapeutic Plasma Exchange.
Researchers evaluated 114 patients across 174 one-plasma-volume TPE procedures and measured circulating microplastics before and after treatment.
They reported reductions in circulating microplastic levels following plasma exchange.
The study provides human data supporting something researchers have increasingly been interested in measuring directly: TPE can reduce measured microplastics circulating in the bloodstream.
This creates an important bridge between environmental exposure research and plasma exchange research.
Scientists have now detected microplastics in human brain tissue, while separate human research has demonstrated reductions in circulating microplastics following TPE.
Together, those findings give researchers new questions to investigate about environmental burden, circulation, tissue accumulation and long-term health.
Why Does Reducing What's Circulating in the Blood Matter?
The bloodstream is one of the body’s major transportation systems.
Hormones, nutrients, immune proteins, metabolic byproducts and environmental substances can all circulate through plasma. TPE provides a direct mechanism for removing plasma and the substances contained within it.
That mechanism is one reason researchers are increasingly interested in measuring environmental compounds before and after plasma exchange.
The 2026 microplastics study is an example of this shift: rather than discussing exposure alone, researchers measured whether a specific environmental substance circulating within patients changed following TPE.
And microplastics are only one part of a much larger environmental picture.
MDLifespan’s own work with Advanced Serial TPE focuses on measuring changes in environmental toxin burden and other biomarkers as part of a physician-directed protocol.
Where Does MDLifespan's Advanced Serial TPE Approach Fit?
MDLifespan has developed a physician-directed approach called Advanced Serial Therapeutic Plasma Exchange.
Instead of treating TPE as a single isolated procedure, Advanced Serial TPE combines a structured series of plasma exchanges with individualized medical evaluation, biomarker testing, environmental toxin assessment, nutritional support and exposure-reduction education.
The goal is to understand what’s happening before treatment, measure what changes and use those findings to guide an individualized physician-directed protocol.
MDLifespan has reported measurable reductions across several categories of environmental toxicants through its Advanced Serial TPE protocols, including mycotoxins, pesticides, phenols and phthalates, volatile organic compounds and other environmental substances.
For patients focused specifically on cognitive health, MDL Brain applies this broader approach to a brain-health-focused protocol incorporating Advanced Serial TPE, personalized testing, nutrient support and regenerative strategies.
MDL Brain is one of several physician-directed protocols within MDLifespan’s Advanced Serial TPE platform, designed around different health and wellness priorities.
What the Research Is Showing
Several distinct areas of research are now beginning to converge around environmental exposure, circulation and brain health.
| Research area | What we’re learning |
|---|---|
| Therapeutic Plasma Exchange | TPE is an established medical procedure that removes and replaces plasma, allowing substances circulating within plasma to be removed from the bloodstream. |
| Microplastics + the brain | Human tissue research has detected micro- and nanoplastics in the brain, with higher measured concentrations in brain tissue than liver or kidney tissue in the 2025 Nature Medicine study. |
| Environmental exposure + brain health | Human research has identified associations between environmental exposures, including air pollution, and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers. |
| TPE + Alzheimer’s research | AMBAR clinically investigated plasma exchange with albumin replacement in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease and reported differences in functional and cognitive decline. |
| TPE + circulating microplastics | Human research published in 2026 reported reductions in circulating microplastics following Therapeutic Plasma Exchange. |
| Advanced Serial TPE | MDLifespan uses serial TPE with biomarker testing, environmental toxin assessment and physician-directed support to measure and address environmental toxin burden. |
What makes this moment in brain-health research particularly interesting isn’t one study by itself. It’s the number of previously separate research areas beginning to intersect.
We’re learning more about what accumulates in the human body. We’re getting better at measuring environmental exposures. Researchers are studying how those exposures may relate to the brain. And clinical research is examining how changing what’s circulating in plasma may influence health.
Those connections are creating an entirely new set of questions worth exploring.
Three Experts, Three Perspectives on Brain Health
On October 15, MDLifespan’s Learning Series will bring those questions into one conversation with experts approaching brain health from three different perspectives.
Dr. Lyn Patrick: Environmental Exposures + Brain Health
Dr. Patrick will examine what current research is revealing about environmental exposures, toxicants and their relationship to brain health.
Dr. Syed Asad: Cognitive Health + Neurology
Dr. Asad will bring a clinical neurological perspective to cognitive changes, Alzheimer’s disease, inflammation and the broader factors that influence brain health.
Dr. Paul Savage: Therapeutic Plasma Exchange + Emerging Research
Dr. Savage will explore Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, the AMBAR study, emerging research into circulating environmental substances and MDLifespan’s approach to Advanced Serial Therapeutic Plasma Exchange.
Together, they’ll look at what the science is telling us today and where the next generation of brain-health research may be headed.
Removing Toxins. Reclaiming Brain Health.
Brain Fog, Cognitive Decline and How TPE Works
Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 4 p.m. ET
The MDLifespan Learning Series brings together Dr. Lyn Patrick, Dr. Syed Asad and Dr. Paul Savage for a discussion of environmental exposures, cognitive health, Alzheimer’s research and Therapeutic Plasma Exchange, followed by live audience Q&A.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brain Health, Environmental Toxins and TPE
How are environmental toxins connected to brain health?
Researchers are investigating relationships between environmental exposures and neurological health. Human studies have found associations between certain environmental exposures and Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers, while other research has detected environmental substances such as micro- and nanoplastics directly in human brain tissue.
Have microplastics been found in the human brain?
Yes. Published human tissue research has detected micro- and nanoplastics in brain tissue. A 2025 Nature Medicine study found substantially higher measured concentrations in brain tissue than in liver or kidney samples, making the neurological implications of microplastic accumulation an active area of research.
Has TPE been studied in people with Alzheimer’s disease?
Yes. The AMBAR clinical trial investigated plasma exchange with albumin replacement in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers reported differences in functional and cognitive decline, with particularly notable findings among participants with moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Can TPE remove microplastics?
Human research published in 2026 reported reductions in circulating microplastics following Therapeutic Plasma Exchange. Researchers measured microplastic levels before and after TPE and observed reductions following the procedure.
Why are researchers interested in TPE and environmental toxins?
TPE removes and replaces plasma, providing a direct mechanism for removing substances circulating within the bloodstream. Researchers are increasingly measuring specific environmental compounds before and after plasma exchange to better understand how TPE may affect circulating environmental burden.
What is Advanced Serial Therapeutic Plasma Exchange?
Advanced Serial Therapeutic Plasma Exchange is MDLifespan’s physician-directed approach combining a structured series of TPE procedures with personalized diagnostics, biomarker monitoring, environmental toxin assessment, nutritional support and exposure-reduction education.
For patients focused on cognitive health, MDLifespan’s MDL Brain protocol incorporates Advanced Serial TPE within a broader brain-health-focused program.
Jessica Rafaeil is a journalist and wellness writer specializing in therapeutic plasma exchange, sleep, nutrition, and alternative medicine. With over eight years of experience covering health trends, she has contributed to publications such as US Black Engineer and IT, Women of Color, Hispanic Engineer, Digital Journal, and Sway’s Universe. Jessica combines journalism with branding expertise to elevate the voices of health-focused brands while advocating for diversity and inclusion in media.
