Older adults face the precarious condition of hearing loss that can lead to cognitive decline. The older people are also liable to social isolation that could lead to depression. However, a new study suggests that the older people can use hearing aids that will boost their hearing and also improve the brain function.
The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences department of University of Maryland conducted the study. The findings are published in Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuropsichologia. They conducted the study in about 100 adults between 62 years and 82 years of age with hearing loss. In the study, they used several behavioural and cognitive tests. The tests were designed for analysing not only hearing but also their working memory, attention and processing speed. Apart from this, the researchers also measured the electrical activity in response to sounds in midbrain and auditory cortex
In six months, the researchers said that the older people with hearing aid showed improved memory, greater ease of listening and neural speech processing. Samira Anderson, who led the team, said that the results showed that the benefits of auditory rehabilitation through use of hearing aids may extend beyond better hearing. This could also improve auditor brain function and working memory, he added.
