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Association Between Age-Related Sensory and Metabolic Hearing Loss and Cognitive Performance
Mie L Jørgensen1,2, Rebecca K Hendel1,3, Asmus Vogel3,4
1Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery & Audiology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Trends in Hearing
|April 30, 2026
Summary
Metabolic hearing loss (HL) in older adults is linked to slower processing speed and executive function, but not episodic memory. This suggests shared vascular issues may connect hearing loss and cognitive decline.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
Background:
- Age-related hearing loss (HL) is traditionally linked to sensory hair cell damage.
- Emerging evidence implicates the metabolic component of HL, specifically the endocochlear potential, in cognitive decline.
- The precise mechanisms connecting HL and cognitive dysfunction in aging populations require further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sensory and metabolic components of age-related hearing loss (HL) and cognitive dysfunction in older adults.
- To determine if metabolic HL is associated with specific cognitive domains, including processing speed, executive function, and episodic memory.
- To explore potential shared pathophysiological mechanisms, such as vascular factors, linking HL and cognitive decline.
Main Methods:
- 100 older adults (40 with mild cognitive impairment, 60 healthy controls) underwent pure-tone audiometry and a comprehensive cognitive test battery.
- Sensory and metabolic components of HL were estimated using the age-related HL components model.
- Cognitive performance was assessed across episodic memory, processing speed, and executive functions.
Main Results:
- Metabolic HL showed a strong correlation with processing speed and a moderate correlation with executive function.
- No significant correlation was found between sensory HL and any cognitive test performance.
- The association between metabolic HL and processing speed remained significant after correcting for age, indicating metabolic HL predicts slower processing speed.
Conclusions:
- Metabolic, rather than sensory, components of age-related hearing loss are significantly associated with cognitive dysfunction, particularly processing speed.
- These findings support the hypothesis that shared vascular pathophysiological mechanisms may underlie the link between age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline.
- Targeting metabolic aspects of hearing may offer a novel approach to mitigating age-related cognitive impairment.
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