A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure

Abstract Airborne infrasound (IS; emitted by e.g., large machinery, wind farms) is ubiquitous in technologized environments. Health hazards are controversially discussed at present. This study investigated long-term effects of IS on brain (regional grey matter volume; rGMV) and behavior in humans. S...

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Autores principales:	L. Ascone, C. Kling, J. Wieczorek, C. Koch, S. Kühn
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/443c4827eddb4bb280bfc23b7b46172e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:443c4827eddb4bb280bfc23b7b46172e2021-12-02T14:06:56ZA longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure10.1038/s41598-021-82203-62045-2322https://doaj.org/article/443c4827eddb4bb280bfc23b7b46172e2021-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82203-6https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Airborne infrasound (IS; emitted by e.g., large machinery, wind farms) is ubiquitous in technologized environments. Health hazards are controversially discussed at present. This study investigated long-term effects of IS on brain (regional grey matter volume; rGMV) and behavior in humans. Specifically engineered infrasonic (6 Hz, 80–90 dB) vs. sham devices were installed in participants’ (N = 38) bedrooms and active for 28 nights. Somatic and psychiatric symptoms, sound-sensitivity, sleep quality, cognitive performance, and structural MRI were assessed pre-post. Null findings emerged for all behavioral variables. Exploratory analyses revealed a trend (p = .083) with individuals exposed to IS reporting more physical weakness at post-test (d = 0.38). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed no rGMV increases, but there were decreases within clusters in the cerebellum VIIIa (bilateral) and left angular gyrus (BA39) in verum. In conclusion, IS does not affect healthy individuals on a global scale. However, future trials should consider more fine-grained specific effects, combining self-report with physiological assessments, particularly directed at bodily sensations and perception. As no brain-behavior-links could be established, the identified grey matter decline cannot be interpreted in terms of potential harmfulness vs. improvement through IS-exposure. Parameters that may best reflect brain changes as established in the present study include motor function, sensory processing/ bodily- and motor-perceptions, working memory, and higher auditory processing (i.e., language-related tasks), which are hence potential target variables for further research.L. AsconeC. KlingJ. WieczorekC. KochS. KühnNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q L. Ascone C. Kling J. Wieczorek C. Koch S. Kühn A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
description	Abstract Airborne infrasound (IS; emitted by e.g., large machinery, wind farms) is ubiquitous in technologized environments. Health hazards are controversially discussed at present. This study investigated long-term effects of IS on brain (regional grey matter volume; rGMV) and behavior in humans. Specifically engineered infrasonic (6 Hz, 80–90 dB) vs. sham devices were installed in participants’ (N = 38) bedrooms and active for 28 nights. Somatic and psychiatric symptoms, sound-sensitivity, sleep quality, cognitive performance, and structural MRI were assessed pre-post. Null findings emerged for all behavioral variables. Exploratory analyses revealed a trend (p = .083) with individuals exposed to IS reporting more physical weakness at post-test (d = 0.38). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) revealed no rGMV increases, but there were decreases within clusters in the cerebellum VIIIa (bilateral) and left angular gyrus (BA39) in verum. In conclusion, IS does not affect healthy individuals on a global scale. However, future trials should consider more fine-grained specific effects, combining self-report with physiological assessments, particularly directed at bodily sensations and perception. As no brain-behavior-links could be established, the identified grey matter decline cannot be interpreted in terms of potential harmfulness vs. improvement through IS-exposure. Parameters that may best reflect brain changes as established in the present study include motor function, sensory processing/ bodily- and motor-perceptions, working memory, and higher auditory processing (i.e., language-related tasks), which are hence potential target variables for further research.
format	article
author	L. Ascone C. Kling J. Wieczorek C. Koch S. Kühn
author_facet	L. Ascone C. Kling J. Wieczorek C. Koch S. Kühn
author_sort	L. Ascone
title	A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
title_short	A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
title_full	A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
title_fullStr	A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
title_full_unstemmed	A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
title_sort	longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/443c4827eddb4bb280bfc23b7b46172e
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A longitudinal, randomized experimental pilot study to investigate the effects of airborne infrasound on human mental health, cognition, and brain structure

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