Investigation of the effect of age-related hearing loss on visual memory

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effect of age-related hearing loss on visual memory. Material and Method: 20 participants with normal hearing loss and 38 participants with hearing loss were included in the study. All of the patients were older than 65 years. Pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and Benton visual retention test were applied to all participants. Results: Mean Benton test score of the hearing-normal and the hearing loss group were 13.10±1.48 and 8.81±3.27 respectively. Patients were divided into three groups as hearing-normal, hearing loss with WRS greater than 80% and hearing loss with WRS lower than 80%. In terms of Benton scores there was statistically significant difference between groups (p<0.001). Post-hoc tests revealed that Benton scores of the group hearing loss with WRS lower than 80% were significantly low (p<0.001). Benton scores of hearing-normal and hearing loss with WRS greater than 80% groups were statistically similar (p=0.075). Conclusion: Impairment of cognitive functions is related to dysfunction of higher order cognitive processes rather than sensory impairment.

Keywords

• Word recognition score
• dementia
• Benton visual retention test

References

1. Powell DS, Oh ES, Reed NS, Lin FR, Deal JA. Hearing loss and cognition: What we know and where we need to go. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13: 769405.
2. Powell DS, Oh ES, Lin FR, Deal JA. Hearing impairment and cognition in an aging world. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2021; 22: 387-403.
3. Brewster KK, Hu MC, Zilcha-Mano S, et al. Age-related hearing loss, late-life depression, and risk for incident dementia in older adults 2021; 76: 827-34.
4. Griffiths TD, Lad M, Kumar S, et al. How can hearing loss cause dementia? 2020; 108: 401-12.
5. Livingston G, Sommerlad A, Orgeta V, et al. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care. Lancet 2017; 390: 2673-734.
6. Fischer N, Chacko LJ, Glueckert R, Fischer AS. Age-dependent changes in the cochlea. Gerontology 2020; 66: 33-9.
7. Frisina RD. Age-related hearing loss ear and brain mechanism. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1170:708-17.
8. Lindenberger U, Baltes PB. Sensory functioning and intelligence in old age: a strong connection. Psychol Aging 1994; 9: 339-55.

9. Baltes PB, Lindenberger U. Emergence of a powerful connection between sensory and cognitive functions across the adult life span: a new window to the study of cognitive aging? Psychol Aging 1997; 12: 12-21.
10. Amieva H, Gaestel Y, Dartigues JF. The multiple-choice formats (form F and G) of the Benton Visiual Retention Test as a tool to detect age-raleted memory changes in population-based studies and clinical settings. Nat Protoc 2006; 1: 1936-8.
11. Lockwood CA, Mansoor Y, Smith EH, Moses JA. Factor structure of the Benton visual retention test: dimensionalization of the Benton visual retention test, Benton visual retention test-multiple choice, and the visual form discrimination test. Clin Neuropsychol 2011; 25: 90-107.
12. Sala SD, Gray C, Baddeley A, Allamano N, Wilson L. Pattern span: a tool for unwelding visuo-spatial memory. Neuropsychologia 1999; 37: 1189-99.
13. Dupuis K, Fuller MKP, Chasteen AL, Marchuk V, Sing G, Smith S. Effects of hearing and vision impairment on the montreal cognitive assessment. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn 2015; 22: 413-37.
14. Peelle JE, Troiani V, Grossman M, Wingfield A. Hearing loss in older adults affects neural systems supporting speech comprehension. J Neurosci 2011; 31: 12638-43.
15. Campell J, Sharma A. Compensatory changes in cortical resource allocation in adults with hearing loss. Front Syst Neurosci 2013; 7:71.
16. Stahl SM. Does treating hearing loss prevent or slow the progress of dementia? Hearing is not all in the ears, but who’s listening? CNS Spectr 2017; 22: 247–50.
17. Wayne RV, Johnsrude IS. A review of causal mechanisms underlying the link between age-related hearing loss and cognitive decline. Ageing Res Rev 2015; 23: 154-66.
18. Valentijn SAM, Boxtel MPJV, Hooren SAHV, Bosma H, Beckers HJM, Ponds RWHM, Jolles J. Change in sensory functioning predicts change in cognitive functioning: results from a 6-year follow-up in the maastricht aging study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005; 53: 374-80.
19. Lin FR, Albert M. Hearing loss and dementia-who is listening? Aging Ment Health 2014; 18: 671–3.
20. Gussekloo J, Craen AJM, Oduber C, Boxtel MPJV, Westendrop RGJ. Sensory impairment and cognitive functioning in oldest-old subjects: the Leiden 85+ Study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2005; 13: 781-6.