{"id":1701,"date":"2021-01-14T12:03:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-14T17:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlestonhearing.com\/?p=1701"},"modified":"2021-01-14T12:05:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T17:05:14","slug":"does-hearing-loss-impact-mental-acuity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hearingsc.com\/does-hearing-loss-impact-mental-acuity\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Hearing Loss Impact Mental Acuity?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably heard the term \u201cmental acuity\u201d used in conversations about ageing and the elderly. In laymen\u2019s terms, mental acuity may also be referred to as \u201csharpness of mind,\u201d but it\u2019s a little more complicated than that and involves factors including memory, focus and comprehension. Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss<\/a> can, in fact, impact mental acuity.<\/p>\r\n

The Connection Between Hearing Loss & Dementia<\/h2>\r\n

Research from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the National Institute on Aging<\/a> shows that there is a strong correlation between untreated hearing loss and dementia, as well as increased risk of falling, being hospitalized and experiencing overall diminished physical and mental health. \"Last<\/p>\r\n

Thanks to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers uncovered that participants with hearing loss had accelerated rates of brain atrophy compared to their normal-hearing peers. In fact, those with hearing loss had lost more than a cubic centimeter of brain tissue per year compared to those without.<\/p>\r\n

The structures most affected were those responsible for sound processing, speech production, memory and sensory integration.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cIf you want to address hearing loss well,\u201d explained senior study author Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., \u201cyou want to do it sooner rather than later. If hearing loss is potentially contributing to these differences we’re seeing on MRI, you want to treat it before these brain structural changes take place.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

How Hearing Ability Affects Mental Acuity<\/h2>\r\n

An Italian study<\/a> sought to uncover more about the link between age related hearing loss and its effects on the brain by studying two different causes: peripheral hearing loss and central hearing loss. Peripheral hearing loss is caused by damage to the structures of the ear, while central hearing loss is caused by problems in the brain that make it difficult to process incoming sound, especially in background noise like at The Darling Oyster Bar<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Seventy-five percent of study participants who had central hearing loss had mild cognitive impairment, compared to 60% of those with peripheral hearing loss or no hearing loss.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThese preliminary results suggest that central hearing loss may share the same progressive loss of functioning in brain cells that occurs in cognitive decline, rather than the sensory deprivation that happens with peripheral hearing loss,\u201d reported study lead author Rodolfo Sardone of the National Institute of Health and University of Bari.<\/p>\r\n

For more information about how hearing loss affects cognition<\/a> or to schedule an appointment with an expert audiologist, call The Hearing & Balance Center today.<\/p>\r\n

Learn More About Hearing Loss Prevention<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n