Hearing and Cognitive Aging

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Kathleen Pichora-Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sensory Motor

Age-related hearing loss is heterogeneous. Multiple causes can damage the auditory system from periphery to cortex. There can be changes in thresholds for detecting sound and/or in the perception of supra-threshold sounds. Influenced by trends in neuroscience and gerontology, research has shifted from a relatively narrow modality-specific focus to a broader interest in how auditory aging interacts with other domains of aging. The importance of the connection between sensory and cognitive aging was reported based on findings from the Berlin Aging Study in the mid-1990s. Of the age-related sensory and motor declines that become more prevalent with age, hearing loss is the most common, and it is the most promising as an early marker for risk of cognitive decline and as a potentially modifiable mid-life risk factor for dementia. Hearing loss affects more than half of the population by 70 years of age and about 80% of people over 80 years of age. It is more prevalent in people with dementia than in peers with normal cognition. People with hearing loss can be up to five times more likely to develop dementia compared to those with normal hearing. Evidence from cross-sectional studies has confirmed significant correlations between hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. Longitudinal studies have demonstrated that hearing loss is associated with incident cognitive decline and dementia. Various biological, psychological, and social mechanisms have been hypothesized to account for these associations, but the causes remain unproven. Nevertheless, it is widely believed that there is a meaningful interface among sensory, motor, and cognitive dysfunctions in aging, with implications for issues spanning brain plasticity to quality of life. Experimental research investigating sensory-motor-cognitive interactions provides insights into how age-related declines in these domains may be exacerbated or compensated. Ongoing research on auditory aging and how it interfaces with cognitive aging is expected to increase knowledge of the neuroscience of aging, provide insights into how to optimize the everyday functioning of older adults, and inspire innovations in clinical practice and social policy.

Activity Engagement in Cognitive Aging: A Review of the Evidence

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Rogalski ◽  
Muriel Quintana
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Activity Engagement ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Cognitive Decline

The population of older adults is rapidly increasing, as is the number and type of products and interventions proposed to prevent or reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Advocacy and prevention are part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) scope of practice documents, and speech-language pathologists must have basic awareness of the evidence contributing to healthy cognitive aging. In this article, we provide a brief overview outlining the evidence on activity engagement and its effects on cognition in older adults. We explore the current evidence around the activities of eating and drinking with a discussion on the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, alcohol, and coffee. We investigate the evidence on the hypothesized neuroprotective effects of social activity, the evidence on computerized cognitive training, and the emerging behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on physical activity. We conclude that actively aging using a combination of several strategies may be our best line of defense against cognitive decline.

Aging

2019 ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Risto Näätänen ◽  
Teija Kujala ◽  
Gregory Light
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Memory Traces ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Brain

This chapter shows that MMN and its magnetoencephalographic (MEG) equivalent MMNm are sensitive indices of aging-related perceptual and cognitive decline. Importantly, the age-related neural changes are associated with a decrease of general brain plasticity, i.e. that of the ability of the brain to form and maintain sensory-memory traces, a necessary basis for veridical perception and appropriate cognitive brain function. MMN/MMNm to change in stimulus duration is particularly affected by aging, suggesting the increased vulnerability of temporal processing to brain aging and accounting, for instance, for a large part of speech-perception difficulties of the aged beyond the age-related peripheral hearing loss.

scholarly journals Explicit and implicit timing in healthy and pathological aging: Disentangling the role of age and cognitive functioning in temporal processing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariagrazia Capizzi ◽  
Antonino Visalli ◽  
Alessio Faralli ◽  
Giovanna Mioni
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Explicit Timing ◽  
Pathological Aging ◽  
Implicit Timing ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

This study aimed to test two common explanations for the general finding of age-related changes in temporal processing. The first one is that older adults have a real difficulty in processing temporal information as compared to younger adults. The second one is that older adults perform poorly on timing tasks because of their reduced cognitive functioning. These explanations have been mostly contrasted in explicit timing tasks, where participants are overtly informed about the temporal nature of the task. Fewer studies have instead focused on age-related differences in implicit timing tasks, where no explicit instructions to process time are provided. Moreover, the comparison of both explicit and implicit timing in older adults has been restricted to healthy aging only. Here, a large sample (N= 85) of healthy and pathological older participants completed explicit (time bisection) and implicit (foreperiod) timing tasks. Participants’ age and general cognitive functioning, measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), were used as continuous variables to explain performance on explicit and implicit timing tasks. Results showed a clear dissociation between the effects of healthy cognitive aging and pathological cognitive decline on processing of explicit and implicit timing. Whereas age and cognitive decline similarly impaired the non-temporal cognitive processes (e.g., memory for and/or attention to durations) involved in explicit temporal judgements, processing of implicit timing survived normal age-related changes. These findings carry important theoretical and practical implications by providing the first experimental evidence that processing of implicit, but not explicit, timing is differentially affected in healthy and pathological aging.

scholarly journals Hearing aids to support cognitive functions of older adults at risk of dementia: the HearCog trial- clinical protocols

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dona M. P. Jayakody ◽  
Osvaldo P. Almeida ◽  
Andrew H. Ford ◽  
Marcus D. Atlas ◽  
Nicola T. Lautenschlager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Trial Registration ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Globally, about 50 million people were living with dementia in 2015, with this number projected to triple by 2050. With no cure or effective treatment currently insight, it is vital that factors are identified which will help prevent or delay both age-related and pathological cognitive decline and dementia. Observational data have suggested that hearing loss is a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, but no conclusive evidence from randomised controlled trials is currently available. Methods The HearCog trial is a 24-month, randomised, controlled clinical trial aimed at determining whether a hearing loss intervention can delay or arrest the cognitive decline. We will randomise 180 older adults with hearing loss and mild cognitive impairment to a hearing aid or control group to determine if the fitting of hearing aids decreases the 12-month rate of cognitive decline compared with the control group. In addition, we will also determine if the expected clinical gains achieved after 12 months can be sustained over an additional 12 months and if losses experienced through the non-correction of hearing loss can be reversed with the fitting of hearing aids after 12 months. Discussion The trial will also explore the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared to the control arm and the impact of hearing aids on anxiety, depression, physical health and quality of life. The results of this trial will clarify whether the systematic correction of hearing loss benefits cognition in older adults at risk of cognitive decline. We anticipate that our findings will have implications for clinical practice and health policy development. Trial registration Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR: 12618001278224), registered on 30.07.2018.

Abstract MP88: Fetuin-A, a Vascular Biomarker of Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail A Laughlin ◽  
Linda K McEvoy ◽  
Elizabeth Barrett-Connor ◽  
Lori B Daniels ◽  
Joachim H Ix
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Vascular Disease ◽  
Sex Education ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Fetuin A ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Age Related

Objectives: The contribution of vascular disease to neurocognitive decline is now widely recognized. Fetuin-A is an abundant plasma protein known to predict vascular disease. Prior studies have shown that fetuin-A levels are lower in patients with Alzheimer’s disease in direct proportion to the severity of cognitive impairment; however, their association with normal cognitive aging is unknown. We evaluated the association of serum fetuin-A levels with cognitive function in relatively high-functioning, community-dwelling older adults from the Rancho Bernardo Study. Methods: This is a population-based study of 1382 older adults (median age 75) who had plasma fetuin-A levels and cognitive function evaluated in 1992-96; 855 had repeat cognitive function assessment a median of 4 years later. Results: Adjusting for age, sex, education, and depression, higher levels of fetuin-A were associated with better baseline performance on the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) (P=0.012) and a tendency for better Trails Making B scores (P=0.066). In longitudinal analyses, the likelihood of a major decline (highest decile of change) in Trails B was 29% lower (P=0.010) for each SD higher baseline fetuin-A level; odds of major decline in MMSE was 42% lower (P=0.005) per SD higher fetuin-A for individuals with no known CVD, but were not related to fetuin-A in those with CVD (P=0.33). Fetuin-A was not related to Category Fluency performance. Results did not vary by sex and were not explained by numerous vascular risk factors and comorbidities. Conclusions: Higher plasma fetuin-A concentrations are associated with better performance on tests of global cognitive function and executive function and with reduced likelihood of major decline in these cognitive abilities over a 4-year period. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that higher fetuin-A protects against cognitive decline in relatively high functioning older adults, although this may be less apparent in those with established vascular disease. Fetuin-A may serve as a biological link between vascular disease and normal age-related cognitive decline.

scholarly journals Heterogeneous Influence of Frailty Phenotypes in Age-Related Hearing Loss and Tinnitus in Chinese Older Adults: An Explorative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingwei Ruan ◽  
Jie Chen ◽  
Ruxin Zhang ◽  
Weibin Zhang ◽  
Jian Ruan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Physical Frailty ◽  
Frailty Phenotype ◽  
Cognitive Frailty ◽  
Age Related

BackgroundFried physical frailty, with mobility frailty and non-motor frailty phenotypes, is a heterogeneous syndrome. The coexistence of the two phenotypes and cognitive impairment is referred to as cognitive frailty (CF). It remains unknown whether frailty phenotype has a different association with hearing loss (HL) and tinnitus.MethodsOf the 5,328 community-dwelling older adults, 429 participants aged ≥58 years were enrolled in the study. The participants were divided into robust, mobility, and non-mobility frailty, mobility and non-mobility CF (subdivided into reversible and potentially reversible CF, RCF, and PRCF), and cognitive decline [subdivided into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and pre-MCI] groups. The severity and presentations of HL and/or tinnitus were used as dependent variables in the multivariate logistic or nominal regression analyses with forward elimination adjusted for frailty phenotype stratifications and other covariates.ResultsPatients with physical frailty (mobility frailty) or who are robust were found to have lower probability of developing severe HL and tinnitus, and presented HL and/or tinnitus than those with only cognitive decline, or CF. Patients with RCF and non-mobility RCF had higher probability with less HL and tinnitus, and the presentation of HL and/or tinnitus than those with PRCF and mobility RCF. Other confounders, age, cognitive and social function, cardiovascular disease, depression, and body mass index, independently mediated the severity of HL and tinnitus, and presented HL and/or tinnitus.ConclusionFrailty phenotypes have divergent association with HL and tinnitus. Further research is required to understand the differential mechanisms and the personalized intervention of HL and tinnitus.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT2017K020.

Recommending Hearing Assessment for Individuals With Dementia: A Survey of Medical Professionals

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297-1305
Author(s):  
Naomi Gurevich ◽  
Heidi Ramrattan ◽  
Mary Kubalanza ◽  
Danielle R. Osmelak ◽  
Jenna Boese
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Medical Professionals ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Level Of Involvement ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Hearing Assessment ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Objectives Older adults are at risk for age-related hearing loss and for dementia. Hearing loss increases the risk of dementia and accelerates cognitive decline. There is no cure for dementia, but hearing loss is treatable. Medical professionals who work with individuals with dementia are surveyed to explore whether recommendations made to individuals diagnosed with dementia include hearing assessments. Method A convenience sample of 85 medical professionals in California, Illinois, and Indiana responded to paper surveys in October 2018–April 2019. Results Of the 85 participants, 69 had some level of involvement with dementia. Of these, 16 (23%) reported recommending hearing assessment, and only one (1.45%) reported considering hearing assessment in the top three priorities of recommendations. Conclusions Hearing assessment is not currently a priority for the surveyed medical professionals who work with dementia populations. Advocacy is needed to close the gap between research and practice.

scholarly journals Strategies for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Healthy Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 754-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Dumas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Institute Of Medicine ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Brain Functioning ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Older Adult Population

Objective: Many advances have been made in the understanding of age-related changes in cognition. As research details the cognitive and neurobiological changes that occur in aging, there is increased interest in developing and understanding methods to prevent, slow, or reverse the cognitive decline that may occur in normal healthy older adults. The Institute of Medicine has recently recognized cognitive aging as having important financial and public health implications for society with the increasing older adult population worldwide. Cognitive aging is not dementia and does not result in the loss of neurons but rather changes in neurotransmission that affect brain functioning. The fact that neurons are structurally intact but may be functionally affected by increased age implies that there is potential for remediation. Method and Results: This review article presents recent work using medication-based strategies for slowing cognitive changes in aging. The primary method presented is a hormonal approach for affecting cognition in older women. In addition, a summary of the work examining modifiable lifestyle factors that have shown promise in benefiting cognition in both older men and women is described. Conclusions: Much work remains to be done so that evidence-based recommendations can be made for slowing cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The success of some of these methods thus far indicates that the brains of healthy older adults are plastic enough to be able to respond to these cognitive decline prevention strategies, and further work is needed to define the most beneficial methods.

scholarly journals Age-Related Patterns in the Subjective Appraisal of Cognition

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 361-361
Author(s):  
Claudia Jacova ◽  
Samantha Smith ◽  
Frank Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Decline ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Everyday Functioning ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cognitive Problems ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a construct of high interest in aging and dementia because individuals endorsing it are at higher risk of developing cognitive problems. It is unclear how individuals arrive at the judgement that they have SCD. Here we aimed to understand which SCD symptoms give rise to the perception of decline as older adults age. Community-dwelling adults (N=494, mean age=63.6, SD=5.44), completed the Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire (SCD-Q) online, using an online crowdsourcing site. The SCD-Q consists of one global question regarding self-perceived decline (yes/no) and 24 questions about everyday functioning which we utilized to form a memory, language, and executive functioning domain score, higher for greater perceived decline. Logistic regression revealed that memory and language domains predicted the likelihood of endorsing SCD for adults aged >64 (Memory: OR=1.76, CI=1.47-2.05; Language: OR=1.66, CI=1.30-2.02). Only the memory domain predicted the likelihood of endorsing SCD for adults <63 (OR=2.69, CI=2.35-3.02). Executive functioning domain scores did not play a role in the relationship between SCD likelihood in either age group. The higher the self-perceived memory or language decline, the more likely older adults are to conclude they have SCD. Our results suggest there is an age-related trajectory in how people evaluate their cognition, with younger people only considering memory and older people considering both memory and language. Clinicians should be aware of this trajectory when examining patients with SCD. Executive functions should be specifically queried because they may not emerge from older adults’ self-reported cognitive problems.

scholarly journals Cognitive Decline and Hearing Health Care for Older Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Interprofessional Teamwork ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Hearing Health

Purpose The purpose of this article is to consider the implications of age-related cognitive decline for hearing health care. Method Recent research and current thinking about age-related declines in cognition and the links between auditory and cognitive aging are reviewed briefly. Implications of this research for improving prevention, assessment, and intervention in audiologic practice and for enhancing interprofessional teamwork are highlighted. Conclusions Given the important connection between auditory and cognitive aging and given the high prevalence of both hearing and cognitive impairments in the oldest older adults, health care services could be improved by taking into account how both the ear and the brain change over the life span. By incorporating cognitive factors into audiologic prevention, assessment, and intervention, hearing health care can contribute to better hearing and communication as well as to healthy aging.

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