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Simulated Hearing Loss in Healthy Young Adults Does Not Change Reactive Balance Responses
Victoria Kowalewski1, Rita Patterson2, Jessica Hartos3
1Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Background:
Hearing loss has been implicated in increased fall risk, particularly among older adults, due to its impact on mobility, gait speed, and postural stability. Dual-task paradigms, where individuals must simultaneously process auditory information and maintain balance control, may exacerbate these deficits. However, isolating the effects of auditory input from age-related neuromuscular and cognitive decline presents a methodological challenge.
Objectives:
This study aimed to assess the acute effects of simulated hearing loss on reactive balance control in healthy young adults using a dual-task paradigm.
Methods:
Nineteen healthy young adults completed a dual-task protocol involving unexpected surface translations while performing the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Speech-in-Noise (BKB-SIN) test under three auditory conditions: No audio, normal hearing, and simulated hearing loss. Hearing loss was simulated using frequency-specific attenuation via Adobe Audition. Primary outcomes included BKB-SIN performance, maximum Center of Pressure to Center of Mass (COP-COM) distance during the first compensatory step, and reaction time to step initiation. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected using a motion capture system and instrumented treadmill. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the effects of auditory and balance conditions.
Results:
Simulated hearing loss significantly impaired BKB-SIN performance, confirming increased auditory task difficulty. However, maximum COP-COM distance and reaction time were significantly affected only by perturbation level, with no significant differences across auditory conditions. No interaction effects were observed between auditory and balance conditions.
Conclusions:
Acute simulated hearing loss did not impair reactive balance control in young adults, suggesting sufficient attentional capacity and system redundancy to compensate during dual-task conditions. These findings underscore the importance of investigating age-related auditory and cognitive decline to better understand balance impairments in older adults with hearing loss.
