In summary, nNOS dysregulation, NOX-2 upregulation, and NOX-2 dependent ROS production (mainly in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex) could explain the learning and memory impairment observed in mice (Kan et al. 2015), as well as the impaired cognitive development in children exposed to road traffic noise (Foraster et al. 2022), as presented in Fig. 1. This evidence concerns the gene CYBB and memory impairment.