Age at Separation of Twin Pairs in the FinnTwin12 Study.

Living in the same household exposes family members to shared environments and may be reflected in estimates of shared environment in twin analyses. The age at the separation of cotwins in a twin pair marks the end of such shared exposure, and the age of separation is commonly self-reported in studies. The objective of the study was to summarize the age at separation from residential records and use it to validate with self-reported separation status and age at the third and fourth wave of data collection in the FinnTwin12 cohort. Age at separation was generated from the address information, linking it to the Finnish Population information system since birth. Descriptive statistics by sex and zygosity are presented. The mean age at separation from residential records was 20.36 years old. Women separated earlier than men and dizygotic pairs earlier than monozygotic pairs. We also calculated the sensitivity and specificity with the self-reported separation status at waves 3 and 4, and interrater reliability with the self-reported separation age at wave 4. Age at separation from residential records had a relatively poor agreement with the self-report. This work enables us to use a more precise and objective measure for the shared environment in future twin studies.

Sensitivity to Noise Following a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Longitudinal Study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in the prevalence and clinical correlates of noise sensitivity (NS) in mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) across a 12-month period and to determine whether NS at an early stage of recovery has predictive value for later postconcussive symptoms. SETTING: A mixed urban and rural region of New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Data for 341 adults (201 males, 140 females; age range from 16 to 91 years) were extracted from a 1-year TBI incidence, and outcomes study was conducted in New Zealand. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of data from a community-based, longitudinal population study of an mTBI incidence cohort collected within 1 week of injury (baseline) and at 1, 6, and 12 months postinjury. MAIN MEASURES: Measures at baseline (within 2 weeks of the injury) and 1, 6, and 12 months included the Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire and its NS item, the Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale, and the computerized CNS-Vital Signs neurocognitive test. RESULTS: NS progressively declined postinjury, from 45% at baseline to 28% at 12 months. In turn, NS showed itself as a significant predictor of future postconcussive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Taken together with previous research, the findings of the current study indicate that NS may have clinical utility in flagging vulnerability to persistent postconcussive symptoms.

The Epidemiology of Noise Sensitivity in New Zealand.

BACKGROUND: Sensitivity to noise, or nuisance sounds that interrupt relaxation and task-related activities, has been shown to vary significantly across individuals. The current study sought to uncover predictors of noise sensitivity, focussing on possible social and cultural determinants, including social position, education, ethnicity, gender, and the presence of an illness. METHOD: Data were collected from 746 New Zealand adults residing in 6 areas differentiated by social position. Participants responded to questions probing personal characteristics, noise sensitivity, illness, neighbourhood problems, and noise annoyance. It was hypothesized that those in high-deprivation areas and/or experiencing illness report higher levels of noise sensitivity. RESULTS: Approximately 50 and 10% of the participants reported being moderately or very noise sensitive, respectively. Significant predictors of noise sensitivity included age, length of residence, level of social deprivation, and self-reported illness. CONCLUSION: There is evidence of social determinants of noise sensitivity, including social position and residential factors.

The relationship between hearing loss and insomnia for patients with tinnitus.

Objective: It is possible that tinnitus, hearing loss and insomnia are all linked to oxidative stress. If so, there should be a relationship between insomnia and hearing loss among patients with tinnitus. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between insomnia and hearing thresholds for patients with tinnitus.Design: This was a retrospective study.Study sample: Data were gathered from records of 1066 consecutive patients (≥18 years old) with tinnitus who were seen in an audiology clinic in the UK.Results: Seventy percent of patients experienced some form of insomnia as measured via the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Thirty eight percent of patients had hearing loss. Regression models showed that the average hearing threshold across ears and frequencies (0.5-4 kHz), adjusted for age and gender, did not predict ISI scores: regression coefficient (b) = 0.02 (95% confidence interval, CI: -0.013 to 0.05, p = 0.25). Moreover, the ISI scores did not predict the severity of hearing loss: b = 0.07 (95% CI: -0.05 to 0.18, p = 0.25).Conclusion: The data do not support the idea that high levels of oxidative stress, which are associated with insomnia, have a strong influence on hearing loss among patients with tinnitus.

Neuroanatomical substrate of noise sensitivity.

Recent functional studies suggest that noise sensitivity, a trait describing attitudes towards noise and predicting noise annoyance, is associated with altered processing in the central auditory system. In the present work, we examined whether noise sensitivity could be related to the structural anatomy of auditory and limbic brain areas. Anatomical MR brain images of 80 subjects were parcellated with FreeSurfer to measure grey matter volume, cortical thickness, cortical area and folding index of anatomical structures in the temporal lobe and insular cortex. The grey matter volume of amygdala and hippocampus was measured as well. According to our findings, noise sensitivity is associated with the grey matter volume in the selected structures. Among those, we propose and discuss particular areas, previously linked to auditory perceptual, emotional and interoceptive processing, in which larger grey matter volume seems to be related to higher noise sensitivity.

Insights from the third international conference on hyperacusis: causes, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.

BACKGROUND: Hyperacusis is intolerance of certain everyday sounds that causes significant distress and impairment in social, occupational, recreational, and other day-to-day activities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to summarize the key findings and conclusions from the Third International Conference on Hyperacusis. TOPICS COVERED: The main topics discussed comprise (1) diagnosis of hyperacusis and audiological evaluations, (2) neurobiological aspect of hyperacusis, (3) misophonia, (4) hyperacusis in autism spectrum disorder, (5) noise sensitivity, (6) hyperacusis-related distress and comorbid psychiatric illness, and (7) audiologist-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for hyperacusis. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for research and clinical practice are summarised.

Elucidating the relationship between noise sensitivity and personality.

Sensitivity to unwanted sounds is common in general and clinical populations. Noise sensitivity refers to physiological and psychological internal states of an individual that increase the degree of reactivity to noise in general. The current study investigated the relationship between the Big Five personality dimensions and noise sensitivity using the 240-item NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) and 35-item The Noise-Sensitivity-Questionnaire (NoiSeQ) scales, respectively. Overall, the Big Five accounted for 33% of the variance in noise sensitivity, with the Introversion-Extroversion dimension explaining the most variability. Furthermore, the Big Five personality dimensions (neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) had an independent effect on noise sensitivity, which were linear. However, additional analyses indicated that the influence of gender and age must be considered when examining the relationship between personality and noise sensitivity. The findings caution against pooling data across genders, not controlling for age, and using personality dimensions in isolation.

The association of noise sensitivity with music listening, training, and aptitude.

After intensive, long-term musical training, the auditory system of a musician is specifically tuned to perceive musical sounds. We wished to find out whether a musician's auditory system also develops increased sensitivity to any sound of everyday life, experiencing them as noise. For this purpose, an online survey, including questionnaires on noise sensitivity, musical background, and listening tests for assessing musical aptitude, was administered to 197 participants in Finland and Italy. Subjective noise sensitivity (assessed with the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale) was analyzed for associations with musicianship, musical aptitude, weekly time spent listening to music, and the importance of music in each person's life (or music importance). Subjects were divided into three groups according to their musical expertise: Nonmusicians (N = 103), amateur musicians (N = 44), and professional musicians (N = 50). The results showed that noise sensitivity did not depend on musical expertise or performance on musicality tests or the amount of active (attentive) listening to music. In contrast, it was associated with daily passive listening to music, so that individuals with higher noise sensitivity spent less time in passive (background) listening to music than those with lower sensitivity to noise. Furthermore, noise-sensitive respondents rated music as less important in their life than did individuals with lower sensitivity to noise. The results demonstrate that the special sensitivity of the auditory system derived from musical training does not lead to increased irritability from unwanted sounds. However, the disposition to tolerate contingent musical backgrounds in everyday life depends on the individual's noise sensitivity.

Association between trajectories of the neighborhood social exposome and mental health in late adolescence: A FinnTwin12 cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent mental health problems impose a significant burden. Exploring evolving social environments could enhance comprehension of their impact on mental health. We aimed to depict the trajectories of the neighborhood social exposome from middle to late adolescence and assess the intricate relationship between them and late adolescent mental health. METHODS: Participants (n = 3965) from the FinnTwin12 cohort with completed questionnaires at age 17 were used. Nine mental health measures were assessed. The social exposome comprised 28 neighborhood social indicators. Trajectories of these indicators from ages 12 to 17 were summarized via latent growth curve modeling into growth factors, including baseline intercept. Mixture effects of all growth factors were assessed through quantile-based g-computation. Repeated generalized linear regressions identified significant growth factors. Sex stratification was performed. RESULTS: The linear-quadratic model was the most optimal trajectory model. No mixture effect was detected. Regression models showed some growth factors saliently linked to the p-factor, internalizing problems, anxiety, hyperactivity, and aggression. The majority of them were baseline intercepts. Quadratic growth factors about mother tongues correlated with anxiety among sex-combined participants and males. The linear growth factor in the proportion of households of couples without children was associated with internalizing problems in females. LIMITATIONS: We were limited to including only neighborhood-level social exposures, and the multilevel contextual exposome situation interfered with our assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Trajectories of the social neighborhood exposome modestly influenced late adolescent mental health. Tackling root causes of social inequalities through targeted programs for living conditions could improve adolescent mental health.

The association between urban land use and depressive symptoms in young adulthood: a FinnTwin12 cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms lead to a serious public health burden and are considerably affected by the environment. Land use, describing the urban living environment, influences mental health, but complex relationship assessment is rare. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the complicated association between urban land use and depressive symptoms among young adults with differential land use environments, by applying multiple models. METHODS: We included 1804 individual twins from the FinnTwin12 cohort, living in urban areas in 2012. There were eight types of land use exposures in three buffer radii. The depressive symptoms were assessed through the General Behavior Inventory (GBI) in young adulthood (mean age: 24.1). First, K-means clustering was performed to distinguish participants with differential land use environments. Then, linear elastic net penalized regression and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) were used to reduce dimensions or prioritize for importance and examine the linear and nonlinear relationships. RESULTS: Two clusters were identified: one is more typical of city centers and another of suburban areas. A heterogeneous pattern in results was detected from the linear elastic net penalized regression model among the overall sample and the two separated clusters. Agricultural residential land use in a 100 m buffer contributed to GBI most (coefficient: 0.097) in the "suburban" cluster among 11 selected exposures after adjustment with demographic covariates. In the "city center" cluster, none of the land use exposures was associated with GBI, even after further adjustment with social indicators. From the XGBoost models, we observed that ranks of the importance of land use exposures on GBI and their nonlinear relationships are also heterogeneous in the two clusters. IMPACT: This study examined the complex relationship between urban land use and depressive symptoms among young adults in Finland. Based on the FinnTwin12 cohort, two distinct clusters of participants were identified with different urban land use environments at first. We then employed two pluralistic models, elastic net penalized regression and XGBoost, and revealed both linear and nonlinear relationships between urban land use and depressive symptoms, which also varied in the two clusters. The findings suggest that analyses, involving land use and the broader environmental profile, should consider aspects such as population heterogeneity and linearity for comprehensive assessment in the future.

Perceived Occupational Noise Exposure and Depression in Young Finnish Adults.

We investigated the association between perceived occupational noise exposure and depressive symptoms in young Finnish adults and whether noise sensitivity moderates this association. This study was based on an ongoing longitudinal twin study. We included those who had been working daily (n = 521) or weekly (n = 245) during the past 12 months (mean age 22.4, SD 0.7, 53% female). We asked about occupational noise exposure at age 22 and assessed depressive symptoms using the General Behavior Inventory (GBI) at age 17 and 22. Noise sensitivity and covariates were used in linear regression models. Perceived daily occupational noise exposure was associated, as a statistically independent main effect with depressive symptoms at age 22 (beta 1.19; 95% CI 0.09, 2.29) among all, and separately for females (beta 2.22; 95% CI 0.34, 4.09) but not males (beta 0.22; 95% CI -1.08, 1.52). Noise sensitivity was independently associated with depressive symptoms among all (beta 1.35; 95% CI 0.54, 2.17), and separately for males (beta 1.96; 95% CI 0.68, 3.24) but not females (beta 1.05; 95 % CI -0.04, 2.13). Noise sensitivity was independent of perceived occupational noise exposure. Pre-existing depressive symptoms at age 17 were predictive of perceived occupational noise exposure, suggesting complex interactions of noise and depression.

Noise sensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity scales: properties in a population based epidemiological study.

Noise sensitivity is considered to be a self-perceived indicator of vulnerability to stressors in general and not noise alone. Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) has to some extent been accompanied by noise sensitivity, indicating a moderate correspondence between them. The aim of this study is to investigate if the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale and Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory's (QEESI) Chemical Intolerance Subscale can differentiate noise sensitivity and MCS as different entities, and if there are overlaps in the characteristics of noise sensitivity and MCS. In 2002, 327 individuals (166 men, 161 women; age range 45 - 66 years) from the Finnish Twin Cohort answered a questionnaire on noise-related and MCS items. Somatic, psychological, and lifestyle factors were obtained through earlier questionnaires for the same individuals. Both confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses (CFA and EFA) of the questionnaire items on the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale and QEESI's Chemical Intolerance Subscale indicated the presence of three factors - Noise Sensitivity, Chemical Sensitivity, and Ability to Concentrate factors - arising from the forming of two factors from the items of the Weinstein's scale. In the regression analyses, among all subjects, the Noise Sensitivity Factor was associated with neuroticism and smoking, and the Chemical Sensitivity Factor was associated with allergies and alcohol use. The study indicates that the Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity Scale and QEESI's Chemical Intolerance Subscale differentiate noise sensitivity and MCS as different entities.

Branched-chain amino acids linked to depression in young adults.

Depression is a heterogeneous mental health problem affecting millions worldwide, but a majority of individuals with depression do not experience relief from initial treatments. Therefore, we need to improve our understanding of the biology of depression. Metabolomic approaches, especially untargeted ones, can suggest new hypotheses for further exploring biological mechanisms. Using the FinnTwin12 cohort, a longitudinal Finnish population-based twin cohort, with data collected in adolescence and young adulthood including 725 blood plasma samples, we investigated associations between depression and 11 low-molecular weight metabolites (amino acids and ketone bodies). In linear regression models with the metabolite (measured at age 22) as the dependent variable and depression ratings (measured at age 12, 14, 17, or 22 from multiple raters) as independent variables [adjusted first for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and additional covariates (later)], we initially identified a significant negative association of valine with depression. Upon further analyses, valine remained significantly negatively associated with depression cross-sectionally and over time [meta-analysis beta = -13.86, 95% CI (-18.48 to -9.25)]. Analyses of the other branched-chain amino acids showed a significant negative association of leucine with depression [meta-analysis beta = -9.24, 95% CI (-14.53 to -3.95)], while no association was observed between isoleucine and depression [meta-analysis beta = -0.95, 95% CI (-6.00 to 4.11)]. These exploratory epidemiologic findings support further investigations into the role of branched-chain amino acids in depression.

Noise sensitivity and hearing disability.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of noise sensitivity with self-reported hearing disability and hearing levels, with consideration of the role of self-reported history of noise exposure and use of hearing protectors. The study is based on the Finnish Twin Cohort. In 1988, a noise questionnaire was sent to 1005 twin pairs, 1495 individuals (688 men, 807 women) replied. The age range was 31-88 years. Information on some potential confounders was obtained from the questionnaire in 1981 for the same individuals. A subsample of thirty-eight elderly women with noise sensitivity response from 1988 had audiometry data from 2000 to 2001. Noise sensitivity was associated with self-reported hearing disability among all subjects [odds ratio (OR) 1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14-2.12] and among women (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-3.04), but no-more significantly among men (OR 1.31, 95% CI 0.86-1.98). The association was primarily seen among younger subjects (50 years or less). The difference between noise sensitive and non-noise sensitive elderly women in the average of thresholds at frequencies of 0.5-4 kHz in the better ear was not significant (Pr = 0.18). Noise sensitivity did not modify the association of hearing disability with the self-reported history of occupational noise exposure. Noise sensitivity was associated with the use of hearing protectors at work. The study shows the importance of recognizing the noise sensitive in noise effect studies, since sensitivity in annoyance has implications in most of the effect categories.

Clinical Characteristics of Disability in Patients with Indoor Air-Related Environmental Intolerance.

BACKGROUND: Chronic nonspecific symptoms attributed to indoor nonindustrial work environments are common and may cause disability, but the medical nature of this disability is unclear. The aim was to medically characterize the disability manifested by chronic, recurrent symptoms and restrictions to work participation attributed to low-level indoor pollutants at workplace and whether the condition shares features with idiopathic environmental intolerance. METHODS: We investigated 12 patients with indoor air-related work disability. The examinations included somatic, psychological, and psychiatric evaluations as well as investigations of the autonomic nervous system, cortisol measurements, lung function, and allergy tests. We evaluated well-being, health, disability, insomnia, pain, anxiety, depression, and burnout via questionnaires. RESULTS: The mean symptom history was 10.5 years; for disabling symptoms, 2.7 years. Eleven patients reported reactions triggered mainly by indoor molds, one by fragrances only. Ten reported sensitivity to odorous chemicals, and three, electric devices. Nearly all had co-occurrent somatic and psychiatric diagnoses and signs of pain, insomnia, burnout, and/or elevated sympathetic responses. Avoiding certain environments had led to restrictions in several life areas. On self-assessment scales, disability showed higher severity and anxiety showed lower severity than in physician assessments. CONCLUSION: No medical cause was found to explain the disability. Findings support that the condition is a form of idiopathic environmental intolerance and belongs to functional somatic syndromes. Instead of endless avoidance, rehabilitation approaches of functional somatic syndromes are applicable.

The association of noise sensitivity with coronary heart and cardiovascular mortality among Finnish adults.

The association of coronary heart and cardiovascular mortality with noise sensitivity was studied. We also investigated how this association is affected by self-reported lifetime noise exposure. In 1988 a case-control study, based on the Finnish Twin Cohort, was carried out to investigate the relationship between noise and hypertension (n=1495). Potential confounders were obtained from questionnaire in 1981 for the same individuals. Data on deaths and causes of death were obtained from record linkage to the nationwide register of death certificates. All deaths that occurred among the study population during the 15 years of follow-up were classified as being due to all causes (n=382), to cardiovascular diseases (n=193), including the number of deaths due to coronary heart diseases (n=111) and to other causes than cardiovascular diseases (n=189). Cardiovascular mortality (Hazard ratio 1.80, 95% CI 1.07-3.04) was significantly increased among noise-sensitive women. Among men, there were no statistically significant effects. Noise sensitivity may be a risk factor for cardiovascular mortality in women.

A window into the brain mechanisms associated with noise sensitivity.

Noise sensitive individuals are more likely to experience negative emotions from unwanted sounds and they show greater susceptibility to adverse effects of noise on health. Noise sensitivity does not originate from dysfunctions of the peripheral auditory system, and it is thus far unknown whether and how it relates to abnormalities of auditory processing in the central nervous system. We conducted a combined electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography (M/EEG) study to measure neural sound feature processing in the central auditory system in relation to the individual noise sensitivity. Our results show that high noise sensitivity is associated with altered sound feature encoding and attenuated discrimination of sound noisiness in the auditory cortex. This finding makes a step towards objective measures of noise sensitivity instead of self-evaluation questionnaires and the development of strategies to prevent negative effects of noise on the susceptible population.

Genetic component of noise sensitivity.

We investigated the genetic component of noise sensitivity using a twin-study design. The study sample consisted of 573 same-sexed twin pairs from the Finnish Twin Cohort. The 131 monozygotic (MZ) and 442 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs with an age range of 31 to 88 years replied to a questionnaire on noise and health-related items in 1988. The noise sensitivity of respondents was defined as high, quite high, quite low or low. MZ pairs were more similar with regards noise sensitivity than DZ pairs, and quantitative genetic modeling indicated significant familiality. The best z-fitting genetic model provided an estimate of heritability of 36% (95% CI = .20-.50) and when hearing impaired subjects were excluded this rose to 40% (95% CI = .24-.54). In conclusion, noise sensitivity does aggregate in families and probably has a genetic component.

The negative affect hypothesis of noise sensitivity.

Some studies indicate that noise sensitivity is explained by negative affect, a dispositional tendency to negatively evaluate situations and the self. Individuals high in such traits may report a greater sensitivity to other sensory stimuli, such as smell, bright light and pain. However, research investigating the relationship between noise sensitivity and sensitivity to stimuli associated with other sensory modalities has not always supported the notion of a common underlying trait, such as negative affect, driving them. Additionally, other explanations of noise sensitivity based on cognitive processes have existed in the clinical literature for over 50 years. Here, we report on secondary analyses of pre-existing laboratory (n = 74) and epidemiological (n = 1005) data focusing on the relationship between noise sensitivity to and annoyance with a variety of olfactory-related stimuli. In the first study a correlational design examined the relationships between noise sensitivity, noise annoyance, and perceptual ratings of 16 odors. The second study sought differences between mean noise and air pollution annoyance scores across noise sensitivity categories. Results from both analyses failed to support the notion that, by itself, negative affectivity explains sensitivity to noise.

Somatic and psychological characteristics of noise-sensitive adults in Finland.

The authors examined the relationship of noise sensitivity with health status and psychological factors in individuals <70 yr of age in Finland. Subjects (n = 1,355) were selected from a 1988 case-control study, based on the Finnish Twin Cohort, that assessed noise sensitivity, lifetime noise exposure, and hypertension. Other health status and psychological factors were obtained from a questionnaire that had been administered to the same individuals in 1981. Statistical analysis showed that noise sensitivity was associated significantly with hypertension, emphysema, use of psychotropic drugs (i.e., sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and pain relievers), stress, smoking, and hostility, even after adjustment for lifetime noise exposure. These results indicate that noise sensitivity has both psychological and somatogenic components.