Hearing Loss and Brain Connectivity in Older Adults
Author Information
Author(s): Jiang Kening, Reed Nicholas, Soldan Anja, Lin Frank, Albert Marilyn, Deal Jennifer, Pettigrew Corinne
Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Hypothesis
Hearing loss is associated with changes in functional brain connectivity among dementia-free older adults.
Conclusion
Hearing loss is linked to lower connectivity in brain networks associated with attention and emotion.
Supporting Evidence
- Hearing loss was assessed using pure-tone audiometry.
- Lower connectivity was found in the salience/ventral attention network associated with hearing loss.
- The association was stronger in cognitively unimpaired participants.
Takeaway
If older people have trouble hearing, it might also affect how their brains work together, especially in areas that help with attention and feelings.
Methodology
The study used resting state functional MRI and linear regression models to analyze the relationship between hearing loss and brain connectivity.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional, which limits causal inferences.
Participant Demographics
Median age of participants was 71 years, all were dementia-free.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI: -0.05, -0.00
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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