Aging in adults is associated with a decline in speech-in-noise (SiN) recognition, yet the neural mechanisms driving this decline remain insufficiently characterized. Most neural evidence on age-related SiN performance has relied on correlational approaches that describe how SiN ability is related to age, but it is not yet clear how changes in specific brain structures mediate this relationship....
This research deepens understanding of why older adults struggle with speech-in-noise, but it is too preliminary to change clinical practice; audiologists should continue comprehensive assessment of speech-in-noise difficulties in older patients while awaiting translational tools.
Identifying brain-level mediators of age-related speech-in-noise decline could eventually guide rehabilitation targets and help explain why hearing aids alone do not fully restore speech understanding in older adults.
- 01NeuroImage study links regional brain atrophy to age-related decline in speech-in-noise recognition.