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Updated: Sep 29, 2025
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Changes in cognitive performance after cochlear implantation in adults and older adults: a systematic review and
Rogério Hamerschmidt1, Vanessa Mazanek Santos1, Flavio Magno Gonçalves2
1Program in Surgical Clinics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
Objectives:
To conduct critical assessment of the literature on the effects of cochlear implantation on adults' cognitive abilities.
Design:
PubMed, Scopus, Lilacs, Web of Science, Livivo, Cochrane, Embase, PsycInfo, and grey literature were searched. Eligibility criteria: age 18 or over with severe-to-profound bilateral hearing loss, cochlear implantation, cognitive test before and after implantation. Risk of bias was assessed using ROB, ROBINS-I and MASTARI tools. Meta-analysis was performed.
Study Sample:
Out of 1830 studies, 16 met the inclusion criteria.
Results:
On AlaCog test, significant improvement was found after implantation [MD = -46.64; CI95% = -69.96 to -23.33; I2 = 71%]. No significant differences were found on the Flanker, Recall, Trail A and n-back tests (p > 0.05). For MMSE, no significance was found [MD 0.63; CI 95% = -2.19 to 3.45; I2 = 88%]. On TMT, an overall significant effect with a 9-second decrease in processing speed post-implantation [MD = -9.43; CI95% = -15.42 to -3.44; I2 = 0%].
Conclusion:
Cognitive improvements after cochlear implantation may depend on time and the cognitive task evaluated. Well-designed studies with longer follow-up are necessary to examine whether cochlear implantation has a positive influence on cognitive abilities. Development of cognitive assessment tools to hearing-impaired individuals is needed.
