Alexandria L Irace1, Nicole M Armstrong2,3, Jennifer A Deal4,5, Alexander Chern1, Luigi Ferrucci6, Frank R Lin4,5, Susan M Resnick3, Justin S Golub1. 1. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. 3. Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 4. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 5. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. 6. Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that age-related hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline. We investigated whether subclinical hearing loss (SCHL) or imperfect hearing traditionally categorized as normal (pure-tone average ≤25 dB) may be similarly linked to cognitive decline and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia. METHODS: Participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were cognitively normal adults at least 50 years old with cognitive assessments from 1991 to 2019 and pure-tone average ≤25 dB measured between 1991 and 1994 (n = 263). The exposure was hearing based on the better ear pure-tone average. Outcomes were test scores in various cognitive domains. Multivariable linear-mixed effects models were developed to analyze the association between hearing and change in cognition over time, adjusting for age, sex, education, vascular burden, and race. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models portrayed associations between hearing and incident MCI/dementia diagnosis based on predefined criteria. RESULTS: Of 263 participants, 145 (55.1%) were female; mean age was 68.3 years (SD = 8.9). Follow-up ranged up to 27.7 years (mean = 11.7 years). Adjusting for multiple comparisons, a 10-dB increase in hearing loss was associated with an annual decline of -0.02 SD (95% confidence interval: -0.03, -0.01) in Letter Fluency. No significant relationships were observed between hearing and incident MCI/dementia. CONCLUSIONS: A relationship between SCHL and cognitive decline was observed for the Letter Fluency test. Further studies are necessary to determine where in the spectrum of hearing loss there begins to be an observable relationship between hearing and cognitive decline.
BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that age-related hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline. We investigated whether subclinical hearing loss (SCHL) or imperfect hearing traditionally categorized as normal (pure-tone average ≤25 dB) may be similarly linked to cognitive decline and risk of incident mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/dementia. METHODS: Participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were cognitively normal adults at least 50 years old with cognitive assessments from 1991 to 2019 and pure-tone average ≤25 dB measured between 1991 and 1994 (n = 263). The exposure was hearing based on the better ear pure-tone average. Outcomes were test scores in various cognitive domains. Multivariable linear-mixed effects models were developed to analyze the association between hearing and change in cognition over time, adjusting for age, sex, education, vascular burden, and race. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models portrayed associations between hearing and incident MCI/dementia diagnosis based on predefined criteria. RESULTS: Of 263 participants, 145 (55.1%) were female; mean age was 68.3 years (SD = 8.9). Follow-up ranged up to 27.7 years (mean = 11.7 years). Adjusting for multiple comparisons, a 10-dB increase in hearing loss was associated with an annual decline of -0.02 SD (95% confidence interval: -0.03, -0.01) in Letter Fluency. No significant relationships were observed between hearing and incident MCI/dementia. CONCLUSIONS: A relationship between SCHL and cognitive decline was observed for the Letter Fluency test. Further studies are necessary to determine where in the spectrum of hearing loss there begins to be an observable relationship between hearing and cognitive decline.
Authors: Justin S Golub; Adam M Brickman; Adam J Ciarleglio; Nicole Schupf; José A Luchsinger Journal: JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2020-01-01 Impact factor: 6.223
Authors: Justin S Golub; Katharine K Brewster; Adam M Brickman; Adam J Ciarleglio; Ana H Kim; José A Luchsinger; Bret R Rutherford Journal: JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2019-02-01 Impact factor: 6.223
Authors: Frank R Lin; Kristine Yaffe; Jin Xia; Qian-Li Xue; Tamara B Harris; Elizabeth Purchase-Helzner; Suzanne Satterfield; Hilsa N Ayonayon; Luigi Ferrucci; Eleanor M Simonsick Journal: JAMA Intern Med Date: 2013-02-25 Impact factor: 21.873
Authors: Justin S Golub; Katharine K Brewster; Adam M Brickman; Adam J Ciarleglio; Ana H Kim; José A Luchsinger; Bret R Rutherford Journal: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry Date: 2020-01-21 Impact factor: 4.105
Authors: Alexander Chern; Alexandria L Irace; Rahul K Sharma; Yuan Zhang; Qixuan Chen; Justin S Golub Journal: Front Aging Neurosci Date: 2022-03-01 Impact factor: 5.750