Impact of Residential Noise Exposure on Neurological Health: A Systematic Scoping Review

Noise pollution is a persistent stressor in urban settings, which affects all segments of the population. Its neurological impacts are less studied than those of hypertension, heart disease, or mental health, but there is evidence suggesting that neurological health is affected by noise pollution. We searched six databases (PubMed, EBSCO, Semantic Scholar, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus) for studies published post-2000 that report residential noise exposure and its neurological effects. We mapped studies based on geographical location, exposure measurement, and study results. Two researchers independently screened and extracted data, and 117 distinct studies from 100 publications were included. European countries and high-income countries dominate the evidence base, and noise is most commonly modeled as 24-h exposure through L-metrics (e.g., Lden). Included studies showed mostly positive associations between noise exposure and adverse neurological outcomes, such as stroke events and mortality, neurodegenerative diseases, cognitive decline, and poorer cognitive performance in schoolchildren. There was no overall relationship between noise exposure and brain structure. While noting the heterogeneity in our included studies, it is clear that long-term noise exposure has neurological impacts. Further research is needed to understand the impact of all-source noise and how noise exposure affects the brain. Further, infrastructure for monitoring noise and population health in developing countries is needed to remedy the global imbalance in data.