Hearing technology and the brain: cognitive function in different hearing device users

There is an evidence-gap on how different hearing devices influence cognition. This study aimed to simultaneously compare cognitive performance across key domains among hearing aid, cochlear implant and bimodal device users.

Cross-sectional data were collected and analyzed as part of the Hearing Impairment in Adults: A Longitudinal Outcomes Study, during 2022-24. Adults aged ≥40 years old using hearing aids, cochlear implants, or bimodal hearing devices were recruited. Of 1054 approached, 617 participants had complete data: 387, 127, and 103 hearing aid, cochlear implant and bimodal device users, respectively. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cogstate Brief Battery among the different device user groups.

In the overall population, no significant differences were observed in Cogstate Brief Battery scores between device users. Age-stratified analyses (<70 and ≥70 years) was conducted, and cochlear implant compared to hearing aid users aged <70 had better reaction times in the following test - Detection (psychomotor function): 2.54 versus 2.58 (p = 0.02). In participants aged ≥70, cochlear implant users compared to hearing aid users showed poorer visual attention or higher mean Identification test scores: 2.83 versus 2.78 (p = 0.02).

These findings suggest that hearing device type is not uniformly associated with cognitive performance, but rather that age and cognitive domain critically shape observed differences. This underscores the importance of more targeted cognitive monitoring in adults with hearing loss.