Jan 23, 2016 07:53 AM EST By Rashmi Kalia, UniversityHerald Reporter

A new study has revealed that exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative illnesses, Indian Express reports.

The study reported that chronic exposure to an environmental toxin might increase risk of neurodegenerative illness.

Conducted by scientists at the Institute for EthnoMedicine, a non-profit medical research organization, and the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank, the study paves a way for future research in Alzheimer's disease, ALS and Parkinson's disease.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Researchers found that Chamorro villagers on the Pacific Island of Guam suffered from brain tangles and amyloid deposits, which are also characteristics associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The diet of Chamorro villagers is contaminated with environmental toxin BMAA.

The toxin can also be found in plants, such as cycads. Animals, such as flying foxes consume the seeds of this plant, so BMAA is often present in the animals, according to Medical News Today.

Scientists have long suspected a link between BMAA, a neurotoxin found in some harmful algal blooms, and neurodegenerative illness.

Pacific Islanders also suffered from dementia and symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease, ALS and Parkinson's disease.

The findings of the study on Chamorro villagers showed that chronic exposure to BMAA could result in Alzheimer's-like brain tangles and amyloid deposits.

Lead author Paul Alan Cox said that this is the first time researchers have been able to successfully produce brain tangles and amyloid deposits in an animal model through exposure to an environmental toxin.

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