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

Is peripheral hearing loss, speech-in-noise ability, and hearing aid use associated with longitudinal brain atrophy and cognitive change in cognitively normal older adults?In this longitudinal cohort study of 312 older adults followed up for 3 years, poorer baseline speech-in-noise performance was associated with faster cortical thinning in temporoparietal regions, independent of hearing thresholds and hearing aid use. Peripheral hearing loss and hearing aid use were not associated with longitudinal neurostructural change or cognitive decline.Speech-in-noise impairment may serve as an early behavioral marker of neural vulnerability preceding measurable cognitive decline in aging populations.

Corresponding Author: Julien Zanin, PhD, Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 550 Swanston St, Carlton, VIC 3054, Australia (julien.zanin@unimelb.edu.au).

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