Fig. 3: The noise/stress concept and the associated adverse mental health consequences.
From: Noise and mental health: evidence, mechanisms, and consequences
Noise induces the stress response through either direct (hearing loss and inner ear damage) pathway or indirect (annoyance and sleep disturbance) pathway. The stress response results in the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and an increase in systemic inflammation that becomes neuroinflammation, resulting in the fear and anxiety response. Prolonged exposure to a high stress response leads to maladaptive coping strategies, such as smoking or alcohol consumption. CRH (corticotropin-releasing hormone), ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), NF-κB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells), SNS (sympathetic nervous system), dAAC (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex), mPFC (medial prefrontal cortex), TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha), IL-6/1β (interleukin 6/1β). Adapted from [27].
