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Longitudinal Relationships Between Decline in Speech-in-Noise Recognition Ability and Cognitive Functioning: The
Marieke Pronk1, Birgit I Lissenberg-Witte2, Hilde P A van der Aa3
1Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck surgery, Ear & Hearing, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research : JSLHR
|April 27, 2019
Summary
The study reveals complex links between aging, hearing decline, and cognitive function, with multiple causal pathways influencing different cognitive measures. These findings highlight the intricate relationship between sensory and cognitive health across the lifespan.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Science
Background:
- Aging is associated with declines in both hearing and cognitive function.
- Several hypotheses, including cognitive load on perception, information degradation, sensory deprivation, and common cause, attempt to explain these links.
- Previous research has provided evidence for each hypothesis individually, but a unified model examining all pathways simultaneously was lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and model the causal pathways between age-related changes in hearing and cognitive function.
- To determine which of the four proposed hypotheses (cognitive load on perception, information degradation, sensory deprivation, common cause) best explain the observed relationships for various cognitive measures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 1,029 participants in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam with up to 7 years of follow-up.
- Employed bivariate dual change score modeling to analyze the interplay between auditory function (speech-in-noise recognition) and cognitive measures (global cognition, fluid intelligence, information processing speed, verbal memory).
Main Results:
- For most cognitive measures (information processing speed, global cognitive functioning, fluid intelligence, immediate memory recall), pathways related to common cause, information degradation, and cognitive load on perception were supported.
- The sensory deprivation pathway was supported only for memory retention, suggesting a specific link to this cognitive domain.
- All four hypothesized causal pathways were supported across the different cognitive measures, indicating a multifaceted relationship.
Conclusions:
- The complex interplay between auditory function decline, cognitive performance, and aging is best explained by multiple directional hypotheses, not a single pathway.
- The findings underscore the interconnectedness of sensory and cognitive health in aging.
- Unexpected support for certain pathways, like information degradation for non-auditory cognitive tasks, warrants further investigation into underlying mechanisms.
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