Speech-in-Noise Ability and Longitudinal Cortical Thinning in Speech-Processing Networks

Age-related hearing loss is a major modifiable risk factor for dementia, yet the neural mechanisms linking auditory dysfunction to brain aging and cognitive decline remain unclear. In particular, it is unknown whether peripheral hearing loss, central auditory processing deficits, or hearing aid use best predict neurodegenerative change in older adults....

While findings strengthen the biological case for early hearing intervention to protect brain health, the study is observational — audiologists should not change screening or treatment protocols based on this alone, but it reinforces counseling patients on the cognitive consequences of untreated hearing loss.

This longitudinal neuroimaging study advances the mechanistic understanding of how peripheral hearing difficulty may drive structural brain changes, strengthening the scientific rationale for early audiological intervention to mitigate cognitive decline.

1. 01Published in JAMA Otolaryngology; examines the brain-hearing connection over time using cortical thickness measurements.
2. 02Poorer speech-in-noise (ability to hear speech against background noise) ability was associated with faster cortical thinning in speech-processing brain areas.
3. 03The study is longitudinal, meaning the same participants were tracked across multiple time points — a methodological strength.
4. 04Findings add neuroanatomical evidence linking age-related hearing loss to brain aging and potential cognitive decline.
5. 05Results are observational; causal directionality (does hearing loss cause thinning, or vice versa?) remains to be established.

PMID

42207546

DOI

10.1001/jamaoto.2026.1050.

Journal

JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Adults with varying degrees of age-related hearing loss assessed for speech-in-noise ability

Intervention

Speech-in-noise ability assessment as a predictor of cortical thickness change