In the mouse model of noise-induced deafness, the massive secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) after macrophage activation not only initiates an inflammatory chain reaction in the auditory cortex but also participates in the occurrence of anxiety-like behaviors by regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, revealing the central comorbidity mechanism of “auditory damage—emotional abnormalities” (Peng et al., 2023). This evidence concerns the gene TNF and deafness.