Central Auditory and Cognitive Processing Impairment in Adults with Normal Hearing Exposed to Industrial Noise and Leisure Noise
-
negar Azizi
,
Vida Rahimi
,
Elham Tavanai
,
Elham Faghihzade
,
Ghassem Mohammadkhani
,
Sirvan Najafi
Abstract
Background and Aim: Noise can lead to temporary or permanent changes in the structure and function of the peripheral and central auditory systems when experienced at high sound pressure levels over time. This study aimed to examine the effects of industrial noise and leisure noise—specifically from Personal Listening Devices (PLDs)—on central auditory and cognitive processing in adults with normal hearing.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 136 males aged 20–40 were divided into three groups: 45 exposed to leisure noise from PLDs, 46 exposed to industrial noise (average [Leq]<90 dB (A)/ 8 hours), and 45 with no history of noise exposure (control group). All participants had normal audiograms. To evaluate central auditory processing, the Dichotic Digits Test (DDT), Duration Pattern Sequence Test (DPST), and Quick Speech-in-Noise Test (Q-SIN) were used. Cognitive abilities were assessed using the Ray Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Semantic Stroop Test.
Results: The results showed that the industrial noise group performed significantly worse on all central auditory and cognitive tests—except reaction time—compared to both the PLD and control groups. The PLD group also showed impairments in speech-in-noise perception, short-term memory, and selective attention relative to the control group. Additionally, a negative correlation was found between noise exposure and speech-in-noise performance.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that both industrial and PLD-related leisure noise can impair central auditory and cognitive functions in individuals with normal hearing, highlighting the need for broader assessments in noise exposure monitoring.
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21. Janata P. The neural architecture of music-evoked autobiographical memories. Cereb Cortex. 2009;19(11):2579-94. [DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhp008]
22. Jafari Z, Kolb BE, Mohajerani MH. Noise exposure accelerates the risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Adulthood, gestational, and prenatal mechanistic evidence from animal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020;117:110-28. [DOI:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.04.001]
23. Portnuff CD, Fligor BJ, Arehart KH. Teenage use of portable listening devices: a hazard to hearing? J Am Acad Audiol. 2011;22(10):663-77. [DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.22.10.5]
24. Behar A. Noise Exposure. In: Wang TC, editor. Hearing Loss: From Multidisciplinary Teamwork to Public Health. London, UK: IntechOpen; 2021. p. 3-12.
25. Nasreddine ZS, Phillips NA, Bédirian V, Charbonneau S, Whitehead V, Collin I, et al. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: a brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53(4):695-9. [DOI:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53221.x]
26. Musiek FE, Chermak GD, editors. Handbook of Central Auditory Processing Disorder Auditory Neuroscience and Diagnosis; Vol. I. 2nd ed. San Diego: Plural Publishing, Inc.; 2013.
27. Khalili M, Fatahi J, Hajiabolhassan F, Tahaei AA, Jalaei S. [Test-retest reliability and list equivalency of the Persian quick speech in noise test]. Journal of Modern Rehabilitation. 2010;3(3-4):16-21. Persian.
28. Rezapour M, Abdollahi FZ, Delphi M, Lotfi Y, Bakhshi E-A. Normalization and reliability evaluation of persian version of two-pair dichotic digits in 8 to 12-year-old children. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal. 2016;14(2):115-20. [DOI:10.18869/nrip.irj.14.2.115]
29. Kahly O HK, Baldo J, Schendel K, Herron TJ, Geraci K, Blank M,et al. Measuring The Speed and Accuracy of Semantic Retrieval with the Semantic Stroop Task. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;20(Suppl 3):e091683. [DOI:10.1002/alz.091683]
30. Rahimi V, Mohammadkhani G, Alaghband Rad J, Mousavi SZ, Khalili ME. Modulation of auditory temporal processing, speech in noise perception, auditory-verbal memory, and reading efficiency by anodal tDCS in children with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia. 2022;177:108427. [DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108427]
31. Wang Y, Ren C. Effects of repeated "benign" noise exposures in young CBA mice: shedding light on age-related hearing loss. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2012;13(4):505-15. [DOI:10.1007/s10162-012-0329-0]
32. Ismail NM, Nada EH, Behairy R, Abdel Haleem Hegazy MT. Post-exposure effect of music through personal listening device (PLD) on speech perception in noise test in young adults. Egyptian Journal of Ear, Nose, Throat and Allied Sciences. 2020;21(2):56-66. [DOI:10.21608/ejentas.2020.14219.1131]
33. Li K, Xia L, Zheng Z, Liu W, Yang X, Feng Y, et al. A preliminary study on time-compressed speech recognition in noise among teenage students who use personal listening devices. Int J Audiol. 2019;58(3):125-31. [DOI:10.1080/14992027.2018.1536298]
34. Drullman R, Festen JM, Plomp R. Effect of temporal envelope smearing on speech reception. J Acoust Soc Am. 1994;95(2):1053-64. [DOI:10.1121/1.408467]
35. Cheng L, Wang SH, Chen QC, Liao XM. Moderate noise induced cognition impairment of mice and its underlying mechanisms. Physiol Behav. 2011;104(5):981-8. [DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.06.018]
36. Liu L, Shen P, He T, Chang Y, Shi L, Tao S, et al. Noise induced hearing loss impairs spatial learning/memory and hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Sci Rep. 2016;6:20374. [DOI:10.1038/srep20374]
37. Satıcı S, Çiprut AA, Yumuşakhuylu AC. The Silent Effects of Loud Music: Examining Hidden Hearing Loss and Cognitive Function in Young Adults. Audiol Neurootol. 2025:1-11. [DOI:10.1159/000547033]
2. Nelson DI, Nelson RY, Concha-Barrientos M, Fingerhut M. The global burden of occupational noise-induced hearing loss. Am J Ind Med. 2005;48(6):446-58. [DOI:10.1002/ajim.20223]
3. Golmohammadi R, Darvishi E. The combined effects of occupational exposure to noise and other risk factors - a systematic review. Noise Health. 2019;21(101):125-41. [DOI:10.4103/nah.NAH__4__18
4. Pienkowski M. Loud Music and Leisure Noise Is a Common Cause of Chronic Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(8):4236. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph18084236]
5. Chen F, Xue H, Wang M, Cai Z, Zhu S. Hearing Care: Safe Listening Method and System for Personal Listening Devices. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(3):2161. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph20032161]
6. Sheppard A, Ralli M, Gilardi A, Salvi R. Occupational Noise: Auditory and Non-Auditory Consequences. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(23):8963. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17238963]
7. Gupta A, Bakshi SS, Kakkar R. Epidemiology and risk factors for hearing damage among adults using headphones via mobile applications. Cureus. 2022;14(5). [DOI:10.7759/cureus.25532]
8. Brattico E, Kujala T, Tervaniemi M, Alku P, Ambrosi L, Monitillo V. Long-term exposure to occupational noise alters the cortical organization of sound processing. Clin Neurophysiol. 2005;116(1):190-203. [DOI:10.1016/j.clinph.2004.07.030]
9. Kujala T, Shtyrov Y, Winkler I, Saher M, Tervaniemi M, Sallinen M, et al. Long-term exposure to noise impairs cortical sound processing and attention control. Psychophysiology. 2004;41(6):875-81. [DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2004.00244.x]
10. Zeydabadi A, Askari J, Vakili M, Mirmohammadi SJ, Ghovveh MA, Mehrparvar AH. The effect of industrial noise exposure on attention, reaction time, and memory. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2019;92(1):111-16. [DOI:10.1007/s00420-018-1361-0]
11. Eggermont JJ. Effects of long-term non-traumatic noise exposure on the adult central auditory system. Hearing problems without hearing loss. Hear Res. 2017;352:12-22. [DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2016.10.015]
12. Bhatt IS, Wang J. Evaluation of dichotic listening performance in normal-hearing, noise-exposed young females. Hear Res. 2019;380:10-21. [DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2019.05.008]
13. Hirano Y, Fujita M, Watanabe K, Niwa M, Takahashi T, Kanematsu M, Ido Y, Tomida M, Onozuka M. Effect of unpleasant loud noise on hippocampal activities during picture encoding: an fMRI study. Brain Cogn. 2006;61(3):280-5. [DOI:10.1016/j.bandc.2006.02.003]
14. Turrigiano GG, Nelson SB. Homeostatic plasticity in the developing nervous system. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2004;5(2):97-107. [DOI:10.1038/nrn1327]
15. Lau C, Zhang JW, McPherson B, Pienkowski M, Wu EX. Long-term, passive exposure to non-traumatic acoustic noise induces neural adaptation in the adult rat medial geniculate body and auditory cortex. Neuroimage. 2015;107:1-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.11.048]
16. Lin HM, Kuo SH, Mai TP. Slower tempo makes worse performance? The effect of musical tempo on cognitive processing speed. Front Psychol. 2023;14:998460. [DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.998460]
17. Vasudevamurthy S, Kumar U A. Effect of Occupational Noise Exposure on Cognition and Suprathreshold Auditory Skills in Normal-Hearing Individuals. Am J Audiol. 2022;31(4):1098-1115. [DOI:10.1044/2022_AJA-22-00015]
18. Jensen JB, Lysaght AC, Liberman MC, Qvortrup K, Stankovic KM. Immediate and delayed cochlear neuropathy after noise exposure in pubescent mice. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0125160. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0125160]
19. Yeend I, Beach EF, Sharma M, Dillon H. The effects of noise exposure and musical training on suprathreshold auditory processing and speech perception in noise. Hear Res. 2017;353:224-236. [DOI:10.1016/j.heares.2017.07.006]
20. Occelli F, Hasselmann F, Bourien J, Puel JL, Desvignes N, Wiszniowski B, et al. Temporal Alterations to Central Auditory Processing without Synaptopathy after Lifetime Exposure to Environmental Noise. Cereb Cortex. 2022;32(8):1737-54. [DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhab310]
21. Janata P. The neural architecture of music-evoked autobiographical memories. Cereb Cortex. 2009;19(11):2579-94. [DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhp008]
22. Jafari Z, Kolb BE, Mohajerani MH. Noise exposure accelerates the risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Adulthood, gestational, and prenatal mechanistic evidence from animal studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020;117:110-28. [DOI:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.04.001]
23. Portnuff CD, Fligor BJ, Arehart KH. Teenage use of portable listening devices: a hazard to hearing? J Am Acad Audiol. 2011;22(10):663-77. [DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.22.10.5]
24. Behar A. Noise Exposure. In: Wang TC, editor. Hearing Loss: From Multidisciplinary Teamwork to Public Health. London, UK: IntechOpen; 2021. p. 3-12.
25. Nasreddine ZS, Phillips NA, Bédirian V, Charbonneau S, Whitehead V, Collin I, et al. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA: a brief screening tool for mild cognitive impairment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53(4):695-9. [DOI:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53221.x]
26. Musiek FE, Chermak GD, editors. Handbook of Central Auditory Processing Disorder Auditory Neuroscience and Diagnosis; Vol. I. 2nd ed. San Diego: Plural Publishing, Inc.; 2013.
27. Khalili M, Fatahi J, Hajiabolhassan F, Tahaei AA, Jalaei S. [Test-retest reliability and list equivalency of the Persian quick speech in noise test]. Journal of Modern Rehabilitation. 2010;3(3-4):16-21. Persian.
28. Rezapour M, Abdollahi FZ, Delphi M, Lotfi Y, Bakhshi E-A. Normalization and reliability evaluation of persian version of two-pair dichotic digits in 8 to 12-year-old children. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal. 2016;14(2):115-20. [DOI:10.18869/nrip.irj.14.2.115]
29. Kahly O HK, Baldo J, Schendel K, Herron TJ, Geraci K, Blank M,et al. Measuring The Speed and Accuracy of Semantic Retrieval with the Semantic Stroop Task. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;20(Suppl 3):e091683. [DOI:10.1002/alz.091683]
30. Rahimi V, Mohammadkhani G, Alaghband Rad J, Mousavi SZ, Khalili ME. Modulation of auditory temporal processing, speech in noise perception, auditory-verbal memory, and reading efficiency by anodal tDCS in children with dyslexia. Neuropsychologia. 2022;177:108427. [DOI:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108427]
31. Wang Y, Ren C. Effects of repeated "benign" noise exposures in young CBA mice: shedding light on age-related hearing loss. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2012;13(4):505-15. [DOI:10.1007/s10162-012-0329-0]
32. Ismail NM, Nada EH, Behairy R, Abdel Haleem Hegazy MT. Post-exposure effect of music through personal listening device (PLD) on speech perception in noise test in young adults. Egyptian Journal of Ear, Nose, Throat and Allied Sciences. 2020;21(2):56-66. [DOI:10.21608/ejentas.2020.14219.1131]
33. Li K, Xia L, Zheng Z, Liu W, Yang X, Feng Y, et al. A preliminary study on time-compressed speech recognition in noise among teenage students who use personal listening devices. Int J Audiol. 2019;58(3):125-31. [DOI:10.1080/14992027.2018.1536298]
34. Drullman R, Festen JM, Plomp R. Effect of temporal envelope smearing on speech reception. J Acoust Soc Am. 1994;95(2):1053-64. [DOI:10.1121/1.408467]
35. Cheng L, Wang SH, Chen QC, Liao XM. Moderate noise induced cognition impairment of mice and its underlying mechanisms. Physiol Behav. 2011;104(5):981-8. [DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.06.018]
36. Liu L, Shen P, He T, Chang Y, Shi L, Tao S, et al. Noise induced hearing loss impairs spatial learning/memory and hippocampal neurogenesis in mice. Sci Rep. 2016;6:20374. [DOI:10.1038/srep20374]
37. Satıcı S, Çiprut AA, Yumuşakhuylu AC. The Silent Effects of Loud Music: Examining Hidden Hearing Loss and Cognitive Function in Young Adults. Audiol Neurootol. 2025:1-11. [DOI:10.1159/000547033]
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How to Cite
1.
Azizi negar, Rahimi V, Tavanai E, Faghihzade E, Mohammadkhani G, Najafi S. Central Auditory and Cognitive Processing Impairment in Adults with Normal Hearing Exposed to Industrial Noise and Leisure Noise. Aud Vestib Res. 2025;.
