Hearing loss and its relation to longitudinal changes in white matter microstructure in older adults: The Rotterdam Study.

Jordi H C Boons, Elisabeth J Vinke, Gertjan Dingemanse, Bernd Kremer, André Goedegebure, Meike W Vernooij

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Hearing loss is considered a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia. The sensory deprivation theory postulates that hearing loss adversely affects cognition in older adults through structural brain changes, but longitudinal studies are scarce. To find evidence for a possible detrimental effect of hearing loss on white matter microstructure, we carried out a longitudinal study in the population-based Rotterdam Study. A total of 1877 participants with a median age at baseline of 56.4 years (IQR: [52.2-60.0]) underwent audiometry and had longitudinal diffusion imaging data available with a mean follow-up of 4.0 years. A lower level of hearing acuity was associated with worse white matter microstructure in the left uncinate fasciculus and superior longitudinal fasciculus at baseline. Poorer hearing acuity was also associated with faster microstructural deterioration over time in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus. The strongest effects were observed for low-frequency hearing thresholds, while the high-frequency thresholds showed the weakest associations. These results suggest that hearing loss may contribute to the age-related decline in brain structure, consistent with the sensory deprivation theory.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper investigates the relationship between hearing loss and changes in white matter microstructure in older adults, which is relevant to understanding cognitive decline and potential modifiable risk factors for dementia. However, while it contributes to the knowledge of how sensory deprivation may affect brain structure, it does not directly address the root causes of aging or lifespan extension. The findings are solid and add to the existing literature, but they are incremental rather than groundbreaking.

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