Summary: People living in neighborhoods with higher daytime noise levels had a 36% greater chance of being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and a 30% greater chance of receiving an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis compared with those in quieter areas.
Source: Wiley
New research published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia adds to growing evidence that long-term exposure to community noise may be linked to worse cognitive health and a higher likelihood of dementia in older adults.
The study examined 5,227 participants from the Chicago Health and Aging Project, all aged 65 or older. Within this group, about 30% were identified with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and approximately 11% had Alzheimer’s disease (AD). By estimating daytime noise levels at participants’ residences over the five years preceding cognitive testing, researchers observed that a 10-decibel increase in daytime noise was associated with a 36% higher odds of prevalent MCI and a 30% higher odds of prevalent AD.
“These findings suggest that within typical urban communities in the United States, higher levels of noise may impact the brains of older adults and make it harder for them to function without assistance,” said senior author Sara D. Adar, ScD, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. “This is an important finding since millions of Americans are currently impacted by high levels of noise in their communities.”
Professor Adar emphasized the potential for prevention: “Although noise has not yet received wide attention in the United States, there is a public health opportunity here. Interventions exist that can reduce exposure both for individuals and across communities.” The authors note that reducing environmental noise could be considered alongside other strategies aimed at protecting late-life cognitive health.
Funding: The study was supported by grants from the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging.
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Source: Wiley
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Original Research: Closed access.
“Long‐term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults” by Sara D. Adar et al. Alzheimer’s and Dementia (DOI provided in the original publication)
Abstract
Long‐term community noise exposure in relation to dementia, cognition, and cognitive decline in older adults
Introduction
Exposure to environmental noise is increasingly considered a potential factor affecting brain health in later life. This study explores whether long-term noise exposure in community settings is associated with the prevalence of dementia-related conditions, cognitive performance, and cognitive decline among older adults.
Methods
Participants in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, all aged 65 years or older, took part in triennial cognitive assessments. For each cognitive assessment, researchers estimated the residential daytime noise level for the five years prior to that assessment using a spatial prediction model. The analysis included 5,227 participants and examined associations between modeled noise levels and prevalent mild cognitive impairment (MCI), prevalent Alzheimer’s disease (AD), overall cognitive test performance, and the rate of cognitive decline over time.
Results
The analysis found that an increase of 10 A-weighted decibels (dBA) in modeled daytime noise at a participant’s residence was associated with 36% higher odds of having MCI and 29% higher odds of having AD (odds ratios adjusted for measured covariates). Higher noise levels were also linked to poorer global cognitive performance, with the strongest effect observed for measures of perceptual speed. However, associations between noise and the rate of cognitive decline were not consistent across outcomes.
These results indicate that higher community noise exposure correlates with worse cognitive status at the time of assessment. The study design captures long-term exposure estimates tied to residential locations, strengthening the assessment of chronic noise effects rather than short-term fluctuations.
Discussion
The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that environmental noise may influence cognition and dementia risk in later life. As an observational study, it reports associations rather than proving direct causation, but the observed links and the public health reach of community noise exposure highlight a potential area for prevention efforts. Reducing noise exposure at individual and community levels may be a feasible component of broader strategies to protect cognitive health among older adults.