Going deaf may harm your memory: Scientists say the brain-damaging effects happen years before you even notice a change in hearing
- US researchers looked at more than 6,000 people with an average age of 59
- Straining to hear ’causes the organ’s structure to change and speed up ageing’
- Tend to isolate themselves, which results in their brains being less stimulated
Going deaf may harm your memory – and the effects happen years before you even notice a change in hearing, a study suggests.
Substantial evidence in recent years has painted a clear link between hearing loss and cognitive decline.
But researchers have now warned even the earliest stages of going deaf – when you can still hear a whisper – may also impair your brain.
Straining to hear causes the brain to work differently, which is thought to cause the organ’s structure to change and speed up ageing.
Going deaf may harm your memory and lead to dementia, according to researchers from Columbia University (file)
Deaf people also tend to isolate themselves, which results in their brains being less stimulated.
The cause of dementia remains unknown – but evidence is quickly mounting that keeping your mind engaged fends it off.
Learning new things, as well as social interaction, builds up cognitive reserve – the mind’s resistance to damage of the brain.
Researchers from Columbia University looked at 6,451 adults with an average age of 59. Participants were then put through hearing and cognitive tests.
They found that for every 10 decibels (dB) decrease in hearing, there was a significant fall in cognitive ability.
The largest decrease in cognitive ability occurred in those whose hearing was just starting to become impaired, just 10 dB off the perfect mark.
The study did not address whether hearing loss causes cognitive impairment.
It is possible that early declines in both hearing and cognitive performance are related to common aging-related processes, the researchers noted.
But the scientists say it may be that when people’s hearing starts to fade, they instantly begin retracting themselves from social situations.
Lead author Justin Golub, assistant professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery – at Columbia University, said: ‘Physicians in this field have used 25 dB – about the loudness of a whisper – to define the border between normal hearing and mild hearing loss in adults, but this level is arbitrary.
‘It has been assumed that cognitive impairment wouldn’t begin until people passed this threshold. But no one actually looked at whether this was true.
‘Most people with hearing loss believe they can go about their lives just fine without treatment, and maybe some can.
‘But hearing loss is not benign. It has been linked to social isolation, depression, cognitive decline, and dementia. Hearing loss should be treated. This study suggests the earlier, the better.
‘It’s also possible that people who don’t hear well tend to socialise less and, as a result, they have fewer stimulating conversations.
‘Over many years, this could have a negative impact on cognition. If that’s the case, preventing or treating hearing loss could reduce dementia incidence.’
The findings were published the journal JAMA Otolaryngology.
Figures suggest around 40 per cent of Britons are affected by hearing loss to varying degrees by the time they are 65.
Despite being so common, little is known about its causes and the only treatment option available is hearing aids which are often not worn once prescribed.