Have You Heard About Hearing Loss, Hearing Aid Use, And Cognitive Decline? Relationships, Mechanisms, And A Proposed Investigation Using Event-Related Potentials

Abstract

This thesis summarizes and analyses the literature surrounding hearing loss (HL), hearing aid (HA) use, and cognition. While the literature investigating human cognition shows a clear relationship between HL and dementia the nature of this relationship is unclear. In animal research, there is a clear link between HL and hippocampal neurogenesis. This study details a proposed electrophysiology study investigating the Late-Positive Component (LPC). The LPC has been associated with the hippocampus, which degenerates early in the dementia disease process. Results from this study will show the importance of hearing health for overall cognitive health.