The Auditory Brain and Age-Related Hearing Impairment

There is currently a surge in publications on aspects of aging on hearing loss, on the benefits of hearing aids and cochlear implants in the elderly, and on the strong correlation between hearing loss, cognitive decline and early onset of dementia. A separate body of literature on the human connectome elucidates the brain network changes associated with aging. More and more data appear on the detrimental effects of hearing loss on the auditory and more general prefrontal cortex. These largely concern structural brain changes, and likely are predictive of functional brain changes in cognitive functions such as memory, attention and executive functions. Given the changing demographics, treatment of age-related hearing impairment need not just be bottom-up (i.e., by amplification and/or cochlear implantation) but also top-down by addressing the impact of the changing brain on communication. The role of age-related capacity for audio-visual integration and its role in assisting treatment have only recently been investigated, and needs more attention.

The Auditory Brain and Age-Related Hearing Loss is the first comprehensive overview of the interaction between age-related hearing impairments and cognitive brain function; is it bidirectional or one-way? The monograph elucidates the techniques used in the connectome and other brain-network studies, based on electrophysiological methods, in the study of overall brain changes with age and relates these to the more specialized human auditory-cortex and age-related hearing loss findings. The author discusses the manifestations of age related hearing impairment and the causes of degradation of sound processing. This is followed by compensatory changes in the human brain and rehabilitation and intervention.

• Relates the techniques used in the connectome and other brain-network studies to the human auditory-cortex and age-related hearing loss research findings
• Examines the side effects of age-related hearing impairment and their impact on the quality of life for the elderly
• Evaluates the importance of multi-modal means in the rehabilitation of the elderly with hearing aids and cochlear implants
• Discusses the role of neurostimulation and various training procedures to halt, or potentially reverse, cognitive decline in the elderly

Researchers and clinical practitioners such as auditory neuroscientists, audiologists, neurologists, gerontologists and geriatricians

Section I. Manifestations of Age Related Hearing Impairment
1. Hearing and the auditory brain in the elderly
2. Age-related changes in auditory sensation
3. Age-related changes in auditory perception
4. Aging, Cognition and Dementia

Section II. Causes for Degradation of Sound Processing
5. Temporal processing deficits in aging and the role of cognition
6. Genetic and environmental factors in age-related hearing impairment
7. Animal models of auditory aging

Section III. Compensatory Changes in the Aging Brain
8. Changes in the brain connectome with age
9. Age-related electrophysiological changes in the auditory brain

Section IV. Rehabilitation and Intervention
10. Improving quality of life with hearing aids and cochlear implants

Appendix. A primer on auditory evoked potentials and magnetic fields