J Neurosci Cogn Stud | Volume 3, Issue 1 | Review Article | Open Access

The Link between Hidden Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline

Belinda RongXin Han, Peter R Thorne and Srdjan M Vlajkovic*

Department of Physiology, University of Auckland, New Zealand

*Correspondance to: Srdjan M Vlajkovic 

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Abstract

Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL) is a common corollary of ageing and can also occur adventitiously, such as with exposure to noise or ototoxic drugs. The underlying pathology of SNHL is an extensive loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea, but SNHL may also arise from early neural degeneration and cochlear synaptopathy often not detected by conventional pure tone audiometry. This form of hearing loss, described as “hidden hearing loss”, provides some explanation for the hearing difficulties reported despite normal or near-normal auditory thresholds. SNHL not only impairs communication and social interactions, but emerging evidence from animal and clinical studies suggests that SNHL also contributes to cognitive decline. This review will discuss the mechanisms underlying hidden hearing loss, followed by a review of the literature investigating the correlation between hearing deficits and cognitive decline.

Keywords:

Sensorineural hearing loss; Hidden hearing loss; Cochlear synaptopathy; Cognitive decline

Citation:

Han BRX, Thorne PR, Vlajkovic SM. The Link between Hidden Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline. J Neurosci Cogn Stud. 2019; 3(1): 1013.

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