Co-occurrence Network Dataset Illustrating Six Interconnected Mechanisms.

Co-occurrence network (term frequency ≥ 20) derived from 1,307 peer-reviewed studies on pollutant-induced neurotoxicity. Node size reflects prevalence, and edge thickness denotes co-occurrence strength. A tightly woven web of connections reveals that concepts aligned with blood–brain-barrier dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroimmune activation, mitochondrial impairment, protein misfolding, and dysregulated intracellular signalling rarely stand alone; instead, they cluster around a small set of hubs, most prominently prenatal adversity and air pollution, which link directly to keywords drawn from every mechanism. Short path lengths between nodes associated with early-life exposure, neurodevelopment, psychiatric outcomes, and classical neurodegenerative markers illustrate a cross-species consensus (human and rat data) that chronic environmental insults initiate a self-reinforcing cascade of neuroinflammatory, metabolic, and proteostatic disturbances. The network, therefore, visually reinforces the review’s central claim: these six biological mechanisms form an integrated, translationally relevant system through which toxins drive the shared vulnerability that underlies both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.