By: Mukta Manoj, Caitlyn Welsh B.A., Shraddha Shende PhD, and Raksha Mudar PhD
On April 12th, 2024, four members from the HearCog lab presented two posters at Illinois State University’s Research Symposium. Catie and Mukta teamed up to present data on Value-Directed Strategic Processing in Age-Related Hearing Loss.
The following is a summary of our preliminary research findings that were presented at the ISU Research Symposium 20224. This is not a peer-reviewed or published article.
The increasing life expectancy of humans has emphasized the significance of sensory deficits on cognitive function in aging adults1,2. Emerging evidence demonstrates that hearing loss in older adults is a modifiable risk factor for dementia, promoting the exploration of the connections between auditory functions and cognitive abilities. Previous research has shown that older adults with age related hearing loss experience changes in various cognitive tasks, relative to older adults with no hearing loss, including non-auditory based tasks3,4. However, research on changes in value-directed strategic processing (an ability that allows a person to attend to information that is deemed important compared to unimportant information) in those with a mild severity of age related hearing loss has been relatively unexplored. This research aims to examine if (1) value directed strategic processing is different between older adults with age related hearing loss and older adults with normal hearing, and (2) the relationship between speech-in-noise recognition, a common problem experienced by those with age related hearing loss, and strategic processing.
Participants included 20 older adults with age related hearing loss and 20 age matched normal hearing adults. An audiological test, including pure tone audiometry between 0.25 to 8 kHz and Quick Speech-in-Noise (QuickSIN) test (a test in which participants are asked to repeat a recorded sentence as the background noise increases), was completed. A value directed strategic processing task was completed, which included stimuli of 200 monosyllabic, four-letter nouns, split into five lists of 40 different word stimuli. 20 words were assigned high-value (10 points), while 20 were assigned low-value (1 point). These words were differentiated by letter case, either fully capitalized (e.g., LAMB) or fully lower case (e.g., lamb). Participants were asked to recall as many words as possible at the end of each list, with a goal of obtaining the highest score possible.
The measures used in our analysis included pure-tone averages (PTA) obtained at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz in the better ear . Groups were categorized based on better ear PTA, with age related hearing loss defined as having a PTA greater then 25 dB HL. Additional measures include binaural QuickSIN scores, the average High-value words recalled (HiAvg), and the average Low-value words recalled (LoAvg). A general Linear Model was utilized with between-subject factors being the groups (age related hearing loss and normal hearing) and within-subject factors being audiological variables (PTA, QuickSIN) and value directed strategic processing variables (HiAvg, LoAvg).
Group differences revealed worse PTA and QuickSIN scores in the age related hearing loss group relative to the age matched normal hearing control group. Additionally, poorer recall for average number of high-value words in the age related hearing loss group relative to the age matched normal hearing control group was observed.
Significant negative correlations were identified between audiological measures and cognitive measures. This was determined as higher PTA, or worse peripheral hearing, is related to a lower number of average high-value words recalled. Additionally, higher QuickSIN scores, or worse speech understanding, was related to a lower number of average high-value words recalled.
Ultimately, these findings suggest that value-directed strategic processing abilities are different between older adults with ARHL relative to age-matched normal hearing controls. This change in strategic processing in those with ARHL is seen even in non-auditory based tasks. Hearing ability, both peripheral and central (e.g., speech understanding in noise) is related to strategic processing. Overall, findings suggest alterations in strategic processing in ARHL. However, the sample size of this study is small, and further research is needed to corroborate our findings.
Resources:
1) Slade, Kate et al. “The Effects of Age-Related Hearing Loss on the Brain and Cognitive Function.” Trends in neurosciences vol. 43,10 (2020): 810-821. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2020.07.005
2) Livingston, Gill et al. “Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission.” Lancet (London, England) vol. 396,10248 (2020): 413-446. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6
3) Lin, F. R., Yaffe, K., Xia, J., Xue, Q. L., Harris, T. B., Purchase-Helzner, E., Satterfield, S., Ayonayon, H. N., Ferrucci, L., & Simonsick, E. M. (2013). Hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults. JAMA Internal Medicine, 173(4), 293–299. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.1868
4) Shende, S. A., Nguyen, L. T., Lydon, E. A., Husain, F. T., & Mudar, R. A. (2021). Cognitive Flexibility and Inhibition in Individuals with Age-Related Hearing Loss. Geriatrics, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics6010022