Investigating Bilateral Hearing Loss, Cognitive Function, and Hearing Aid Use in Healthy Adults

Sunday, September 29, 2024

9:42 AM – 9:48 AM EDT

Location: MBCC, 231

Disclosure(s):

Maura Cosetti, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Liraz Arie, PhD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Gerald T. Voelbel, PhD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Studies suggest that individuals with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (BHL) are at increased risk for cognitive decline, and that interventions such as hearing aids (HA) can modify that risk. This study investigates whether individuals with untreated BHL demonstrate poorer cognitive performance compared to those with normal hearing and whether HA use modifies this difference.

Methods: Participants completed a visual computerized cognitive assessment evaluating composite memory, cognitive flexibility, executive function (EF), complex reaction time (RT), sustained attention and working memory; and the Trail Making Test (TMT) A & B test and Hearing Impairment Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HI-MoCA)/MoCA on paper.

Results: A total of 28 participants with normal hearing (NH, PTA < 25dB; mean age 59.14 [11.96]), 14 with untreated BHL (12 Mild BHL [PTA 26-40dB] and 2 > Moderate BHL [PTA > 41dB]; 73.50 [9.43]) and 17 BHL HA-users (4 Mild BHL and 13 > Moderate BHL; 72.35 [12.88]). Participants did not differ in health status (all American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 1 or 2) or education level (64.4% had higher than a graduate degree.) Comparison of EF raw scores between groups was significant (p = 0.029) where non-HA-users had a significantly lower EF than the NH (mean difference = 12.91, 95% CI 1.32-24.51, p = 0.024, Effect Size [ES] = 0.86). RT was significantly different between groups (p = 0.013) with non-HA-users having lower RT than NH (mean difference = -130.82 ms 95% CI -236.11- [-25.53], p = 0.01, ES = -0.82). Upon adjusting for age, these differences were no longer statistically significant.

Conclusions: We found significant differences in EF and RT between healthy adults with untreated BHL and individuals with NH, but not between individuals with NH and HA-users. These results are in line with the literature suggesting a cognitive decline in people with BHL in domains of RT, attention, and EF. It also supports the possibility that interventions (HA) can impact cognitive function. While the sample is small, and age could be a confounder, the large ESs provide a solid basis for future research.

Presenting Author(s)

Maura Cosetti, MD

Associate Professor, Director, Ear Institute of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
Ear Institute of New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai
New York, New York, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Liraz Arie, PhD

PhD
NYU Steinhardt
Brooklyn, NY, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Senior Author(s)

Anat V. Lubetzky, PT, PhD

Associate Professor
New York University
New York, NY, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.

Co-Author(s)

Jennifer L. Kelly, PT, DPT, NCS

Administrative Director Ear Institute
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
New York, NY, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Gerald T. Voelbel, PhD

Associate Professor
NYU Steinhardt
New York , NY, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
TK

Tal Krasovsky, PhD

University of Haifa, Israel

Disclosure information not submitted.