- Hearing loss causes structural changes in parts of the brain related to symptoms of dementia, according to a new study.
- The areas of the brain affected by hearing loss are regions associated with attention and executive function in the frontal cortex, as well as the auditory regions of the temporal lobe.
- Previous research has found that hearing loss is associated with dementia, although the relationship between the two remains to be clarified.
- Upcoming research investigates the possibility of reversing such changes with the use of hearing aids.
Hearing loss is associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. A landmark
A new study has now found that people with hearing loss exhibit microstructure differences in areas of the frontal cortex linked to executive function and speech and language processing. They also exhibit changes in the auditory regions of the brain’s temporal lobe.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute identified these areas through hearing tests and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
The study involved 130 participants in the Rancho Bernardo Study of Healthy Aging. Individuals had a mean age of 76.4 years, and 65% of them were women.
Researchers screened participants’ hearing between 2003 and 2005, at which time their better-hearing ear was tested for its average ability to hear a suite of oscillator-produced pitches at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Herz (Hz). These tones are roughly at the middle of the human hearing range.
MRI scans took place between 2014 and 2016, at which time, structural differences in participants’ brains were noted.
The study appears in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The study’s first author, Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Linda McEvoy, explained for Medical News…
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