Hearing Rehabilitative Treatment for Older Adults With Comorbid Hearing Loss and Depression: Effects on Depressive...

Recent research has revealed important neural and psychiatric consequences of hearing loss (HL) in older adults. This pilot study examined the neural effects of HL and the impact of hearing aids on neuropsychiatric outcomes in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Twelve-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

N = 25 (≥60 years) with MDD and moderate-profound HL were randomized to receive hearing aids (100% gain targets) or sham hearing aids (flat 30 dB HL) in addition to psychiatric treatment-as-usual.

Depressive symptoms (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HRSD]), executive functioning (NIH Toolbox Flanker), integrity of auditory brain areas (structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging).

At baseline, worse speech discrimination was associated with auditory cortical thinning (Left anterior transverse temporal gyrus: r = 0.755, p = 0.012) and lower integrity of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (FA: Left r = 0.772, p = 0.025, Right r = 0.782, p = 0.022). After 12-weeks, hearing aids were effective at improving hearing functioning (Hearing Handicap for the Elderly: active -12.47 versus sham -4.19, t = -2.64, df = 18, p = 0.016) and immediate memory (active +14.9 versus sham +5.7, t = 2.28, df = 16, p = 0.037). Moderate improvement was observed for hearing aids on executive functioning but did not reach statistical significance (Flanker: active +4.8 versus sham -2.4, t = 1.95, df = 15, p = 0.071). No significant effect on depression was found (HRSD: active -5.50 versus sham -7.32, t = 0.75, df = 19, p = 0.46).

HL can affect brain regions important for auditory and cognitive processing, and hearing remediation may have beneficial effects on executive functioning in MDD. Future studies may evaluate whether impairment in cognitive control consequent to HL may be an important risk mechanism for MDD.