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Effect of Reduced Audibility on Mini-Mental State Examination Scores
Laura Gaeta1, Jo Azzarello2, Jonathan Baldwin3
1Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health and Human Services, California State University, Sacramento, CA.
Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
|April 11, 2019
Summary
Reduced audibility negatively impacts cognitive screening test scores, particularly in older adults with hearing loss. Educational attainment may mitigate these effects, highlighting the need to optimize communication during assessments.
Area of Science:
- Auditory science
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Hearing loss and cognitive decline are increasing with age.
- Cognitive screening tests are verbally administered and may be affected by hearing impairment.
- Previous research on audibility loss and cognitive tests is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the effects of reduced audibility on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
- To compare performance on the MMSE between older adults with hearing loss and young adults with normal hearing.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study compared 30 older adults with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) to 30 young adults with normal hearing.
- Participants were cognitively normal based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
- MMSE was administered with audibility loss simulated in controls and presented in noise for cases.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in MMSE scores between the two groups.
- Education level significantly modified the performance of older adults with SNHL.
Conclusions:
- Reduced audibility negatively affects MMSE scores in cognitively intact individuals.
- Lower educational attainment may exacerbate the negative impact of audibility loss on cognitive test performance.
- Optimizing communication during cognitive assessments is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis.
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