Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline, yet its relation to specific executive functions remains unclear. This study examines associations between planning ability, pure-tone audiometry and speech-in-noise performance.
The association between hearing loss and poorer executive function is consistent with prior literature; no new intervention guidance emerges from this single cohort study, but it reinforces the rationale for cognitive screening in patients with hearing loss.
Strengthening the evidence base linking hearing loss to specific cognitive domains may inform counseling and referral pathways for audiologists managing older adults.
- 01Population-based cohort design provides stronger evidence than cross-sectional data alone.
- 02Executive functions—particularly planning ability—were specifically assessed, not just global cognition.
- 03Published in PLoS ONE (open access), making findings widely available to clinicians and researchers.
- 04Findings align with growing literature on hearing loss as a modifiable dementia risk factor.
- 05Results are associative; causal direction between hearing loss and executive dysfunction remains uncertain.
Hearing loss is associated with reduced executive function, including planning ability, in a population-based cohort.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42329920
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0351409.
- Journal
- PLOS ONE
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- General population adults in a population-based cohort, assessed for hearing loss and executive function
- Intervention
- Presence and degree of hearing loss
- Comparator
- Participants without hearing loss
Primary outcomes
Executive function scores (including planning ability)