Understanding noise stress-induced cognitive impairment in healthy adults and its implications for schizophrenia

Abstract

Noise stress (NS) is detrimental to many aspects of human health and behavior. Understanding the effect of noise stressors on human cognitive function is a growing area of research and is crucial to helping clinical populations, such as those with schizophrenia, which are particularly sensitive to stressors. A review of electronic databases for studies assessing the effect of acute NS on cognitive functions in healthy adults revealed 31 relevant studies. The review revealed (1) NS exerts a clear negative effect on attention, working memory and episodic recall, and (2) personality characteristics, in particular neuroticism, and sleep influence the impact of noise stressors on performance in interaction with task complexity. Previous findings of consistent impairment in NS-relevant cognitive domains, heightened sensitivity to stressors, elevated neuroticism and sleep disturbances in schizophrenia, taken together with the findings of this review, highlight the need for empirical studies to elucidate whether NS, a common aspect of urban environments, exacerbates cognitive deficits and other symptoms in schizophrenia and related clinical populations.

Neuroprotective effects of Tualang honey against oxidative stress and memory decline in young and aged rats exposed to noise stress

“…Noise exposure exceeds 90 dB has been reported to be a source of stressor [4]. The adverse impact of noise on learning, memory and hippocampal neurogenesis has been reported by previous studies [5][6][7][8][9]. The mechanisms underlying the decline of memory after noise exposure are not entirely clear.…”

Mitigative Effects of Antioxidants in Noise Stress

“…Within a short period of time, there is an abrupt decline in cochlear circulation, evidenced by an aggregation of erythrocytes, capillary vasoconstriction, and stasis. This extreme metabolic activity and decreased cochlear blood flow from noise exposure alters cellular redox states and instigates the formation of ROS [37,38]. ROS may also be generated by diverse mechanisms.…”

When it’s quiet, it’s nice: Noise sensitivity in schizophrenia

“…Impairment of sensory gating or inhibition of selective attention in people with schizophrenia may be mechanisms for NS, as they reflect a reduced ability to tune out background noise (Freedman et al, 1987;Potter et al, 2006). Further, a recent literature review of the impacts of noise on information processing (Wright, Peters, Ettinger, Kuipers, & Kumari, 2014), with a focus on schizophrenia, underscored the centrality of attention and memory deficits in any explanation of NS.…”

“…Responses more associated with clinical populations, such as distress and helplessness, are studied less. Although there appears to be a link between NS and psychiatric symptoms (Stansfeld, Haines, Burr, Berry, & Lercher, 2000;Wright et al, 2014), little research has addressed NS and functioning, or best practice when working with people with NS, in any context. Accounts from people with traumatic brain injury suggest NS is important clinically because of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects that affect functioning (Landon, Shepherd, Stuart, Theadom, & Freundlich, 2012).…”

“…Accounts from people with traumatic brain injury suggest NS is important clinically because of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects that affect functioning (Landon, Shepherd, Stuart, Theadom, & Freundlich, 2012). Schizophrenia has been noted as an important population to investigate the impacts of noise as many of the processes affected by reactions to noise are also affected by psychosis (Wright et al, 2014).…”