Researchers in the UK studied a group of adults around age 70 to understand if hearing loss impacts brain health. The scientists used MRI scans to track changes in brain size over time and measured cognitive abilities with thinking and memory tests.
Previous research has confirmed a link between hearing loss and dementia, but the reasons behind this connection remain unclear. This new study explored the association between hearing, brain structure, and cognitive function.
Why it matters
Hearing loss is linked to faster rates of brain shrinkage, especially in a critical memory area called the hippocampus.
- The hippocampus is a small, curved structure located deep within the brain's temporal lobe. It plays a critical role in the formation, organization, and storage of new memories, as well as in connecting certain sensations and emotions to these memories.
The study
The research, published in the Journal Of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (4/3/2024) involved 287 people born in the same week in 1946.
- The researchers investigated whether hearing ability was associated with changes in brain size and cognitive performance over time.
- All participants had hearing tests and brain scans at the beginning of the study and again after about 2.4 years.
- Of the 287 participants, 111 had hearing loss (≥ 25 decibels).
The results
- Participants with hearing loss had faster rates of whole-brain atrophy compared to those with normal hearing.
- Worse hearing predicted faster rates of hippocampal atrophy.
- Faster rates of whole-brain atrophy were associated with greater cognitive decline.
- Whole-brain and hippocampal atrophy were independent of typical Alzheimer's disease processes (β-amyloid deposition and white matter hyperintensity volume).
The takeaway
The research suggests that the relationship between hearing loss, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline occurs through distinct pathways independent of dementia processes.
- Gaining a better understanding of these effects could lead to new and innovative treatments.
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