New research shows that hearing aids can slow metabolic decline in the brains of adults with mild cognitive impairment, in areas crucial for executive function.
The use of hearing aids can help to slow the metabolic decline that takes place in the brains of adults with mild cognitive impairment, according to research presented at the 2024 Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting. Those who used hearing aids
experienced less decline in brain metabolism than those with untreated hearing loss, especially in frontal regions of their cortex that are known to be important for executive functions or to decline with ageing.
“While the impact of hearing loss and use of hearing aids upon the risk of developing dementia has been studied previously, the cross-comparison between subjects with hearing loss and subjects with hearing aids and changes in brain metabolism over time have not yet been elucidated,” says Natalie Quilala, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. “In this study, we report findings using PET scan data and neuropsychological assessments among subjects diagnosed with hearing loss, with and without the use of hearing aids.”
The hearing loss group demonstrated significant annual metabolic decline in six frontal cortical regions and two superior temporal regions, while the control group exhibited significant decline only in two superior temporal regions, likely reflective of presence of an early neurodegenerative process in these subjects with mild impairment, but in none of the frontal cortical regions.
Strikingly, the hearing aid group did not experience significant annual metabolic decline in any frontal cortical region. Furthermore, statistical comparison of rates of decline in difference-of-differences analyses demonstrated that multiple frontal cortical regions
declined significantly faster in the untreated hearing loss group than in the group treated with hearing aids, and that no frontal cortical region declined significantly faster in the hearing aid group than in the control group.
“These results suggest that while hearing loss can accelerate the decline in brain metabolism that occurs in people suffering from mild cognitive impairment, this acceleration may be largely mitigated through the use of hearing aids,” says Quilala.
Takeaways:
Adults with mild cognitive impairment who used hearing aids experienced less metabolic decline in their brains compared to those with untreated hearing loss.
The study found no significant annual metabolic decline in the frontal cortical regions of those using hearing aids, unlike the untreated hearing loss group.
The use of hearing aids may mitigate the accelerated brain metabolism decline associated with hearing loss, suggesting a potential protective effect against cognitive impairment progression.
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