Can you think back to when you were younger? Did you feel like you’d never grow older and that your health would never catch up with you. If you could go back in time and change some of the things in your life you did when you were younger, I’m sure you wouldn’t be the only one who would take the option. For a lot of us, we may have enjoyed loud concerts or sporting events without proper hearing protection. Now you may find that your hearing isn’t what it used to be. In noisy crowded settings you may find yourself having to ask others to repeat themselves frequently and you may find yourself simply pretending to hear people all too often.
You may have had fun in the past but now we are finding some serious consequences to our actions. To be fair, access to information and research has increased since we were kids. This means we can learn from our mistakes and help the next generation make safer choices. Along this vein, a recent study has determined that hearing loss in younger people affects cognitive function and development.
The Effect of Hearing Loss on a Younger Generation
The 2018 study out of the Ohio State University, examined the effects of hearing loss on a younger generation and determined that even those with an unnoticeable hearing loss suffered from a higher burden on cognitive functioning—an impact which often didn’t manifest to its full extent until late-middle age.
“Hearing loss, even minor deficits, can take a toll in young people,” explains lead researcher Yune Lee, an assistant professor of speech and hearing science at Ohio State. “they’re using cognitive resources that could be preserved until much later in life. Most concerning, this early hearing loss could pave the way for dementia.”
The Study’s Surprising Discovering on Hearing Loss’s Impact on Cognitive Health
Published in the online neuroscience journal eNeuro, was initially intended to examine brain activity and speech recognition to identify cognitive changes which occur when trying to comprehend challenging sentences. However, an unexpected discovery uncovered the lasting effects of hearing loss on cognitive health in younger individuals.
The study examined 35 participants, in good health between the ages of 18 and 41 years old. With the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, they measured and mapped brain activity, while playing the participants, sentences of ascending complication. The sentences were delivered in sets of four with growing complexity of grammar as they proceeded. An example included:
- Kings with three black horses that appreciate queens are good
- Kings that appreciate queens with three black horses are good
- Kings with three black horses that queens appreciate are good
- Kings that queens appreciate with three black horses are good
At the end of each of the four statements, the participants were asked questions concerning their comprehension of the sentences.
A Surprising Discovery
While Lee’s team expected to see activity and changes in the left hemisphere of the brain as participants deciphered these sentences, they found that participants with even a mild hearing loss showed lower results on comprehension than participants with normal hearing. Previous to testing the researchers tested for hearing loss to be sure it would not interfere with the study. While they believed previously in the study that those with a mild hearing loss would not have issues that would interfere with the results, they were surprised to find a significant difference in comprehension for those with a mild hearing loss versus those who did not.
The Serious Implications of Mild Hearing Loss
Lee was surprised to realize that even a mild form of hearing loss could impact cognitive functioning. “Previous research shows that people with mild hearing loss are twice as likely to have dementia. And those with moderate to severe hearing loss have three to five times the risk, “states Lee.
The sooner you act around hearing loss the better. To schedule your next hearing exam, don’t hesitate to contact us to set up a hearing exam with us today so we can get you the care you need. We can test you for even a mild hearing loss and protect your cognitive health for years to come.