SoundMIND – effects of noise on cognition and mental health

Research problem and specific questions. Traffic noise is an environmental exposure of growing concern with mounting evidence of serious adverse health effects.

At least one in five Europeans (approximately 113 million people) are exposed to noise levels exceeding the European Environment Agency indicator level linked to harmful health effects.

Besides the increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic effects, hearing loss, and sleep disturbance, more recent studies have indicated that prolonged exposure to noise might accelerate the risk of cognitive impairment, degenerative dementia, anxiety, and depression. Data and Methods.

We take advantage of the pre-existing data within the Nordic Studies on Occupational and Traffic Noise in Relation to Disease (NordSOUND) project, comprising over 185 000 adults from five Swedish and two Danish cohorts, to investigate whether exposure to traffic and occupational noise is related to dementia and mental health (depression, and anxiety) and to reveal potential mechanisms.

We will adjust for individual- and area-level covariates to enable increased precision in the assessment of associations. We will also adjust for residential air pollution exposure and lack of greenness to explore the potential interactions. Plan for project realization.

The research group involved in the project is multidisciplinary, and the complementary expertise of the team members will guarantee a broad perspective considering clinical, social, and public health relevance as well as adequate methodological and management skills.

A postdoc research fellow will implement the study plan, coordinated and supervised by project leader and senior researchers. Relevance.

This collaborative research effort will address a considerable knowledge gap regarding noise exposure, dementia and mental health.

Our results may have significant implications for risk assessment and public health policy, especially considering the recently relaxed noise guidelines in Sweden and the rapid urban growth.