These Simple Tasks Can Cut Your Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

 Can your competent? doctor get you recovered enough to do these? Oh NO, you DON'T have a functioning stroke doctor, do you?

These Simple Tasks Can Cut Your Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

Research is offering some actionable steps we can take to protect our minds from memory loss.

A large UK-based study published in the American Academy of Neurology’s medical journal found that physical and mental activities ― such as doing household chores, exercising or visiting loved ones may help lower the risk of dementia.

The roughly 11-year study followed 501,376 people in the UK who self-reported their physical and mental activities at the beginning of the experiment: how often they visit with friends, their education level, how often they climb stairs, how they commute to work, and more.The study found certain activities were associated with a lower risk of dementia. People who frequently exercised had a 35% lower risk, people who frequently did household chores had a 21% lower risk and people who visited daily with family and friends had a 15% lower risk.

And while dementia risk factors also include things that are out of our control ― like aging and genetics ― the research underscores that there are behaviors within your power to either reduce your risk of dementia or delay the condition, Dr. Scott Turner, director of the memory disorders program at Georgetown University Medical Center, told HuffPost.

The study does come with a few caveats: The findings are a correlation, not necessarily a direct link. Another limitation is that because people reported their own physical and mental activities, there’s always a chance that some people forgot about activities they engaged in or reported them incorrectly.

“More research is needed to confirm our findings. However, our results are encouraging that making these simple lifestyle changes may be beneficial,” study author Dr. Huan Song of Sichuan University in China, said in a statement.

Overall, the results are good news, considering more than 5 million people in the United States live with dementia — and that number is only expected to grow.

Keeping your brain stimulated is key.

Whether through physical activity, social activity or mental activity, putting your brain to work can help delay dementia onset or reduce the risk altogether.Chores double as both a physical and mental activity (and can even sometimes be considered exercise, Turner noted). Visits with loved ones are a social activity that also requires mental stimulation, and physical activity requires mental dedication, too.

Turner said that people who develop visual or hearing problems could be at a higher risk of dementia if they don’t address the problem by getting glasses or hearing aids. When you can’t hear or see, he explained, “you’re depriving your brain of sensory input, and you need to keep your brain stimulated” to help reduce your risk of dementia.

Physical activity is one way to help decrease your risk of dementia.

The Physical Signs That May Predict Cognitive Decline (They're Not What You'd Expect) by mindbodygreen

 Stroke patients were excluded so ask your competent? doctor to get this research going on stroke subjects!

The Physical Signs That May Predict Cognitive Decline (They're Not What You'd Expect)

When we think about brain health, we usually focus on what's happening inside the brain: memory lapses, difficulty concentrating, trouble finding words. But what if the earliest signs of cognitive decline aren't in your mind at all, but in your body?

New research on sensorimotor function and cognitive health suggests that how well your senses and body work together may be a powerful indicator of brain health. And the findings point to something reassuring: the tests involved are simple, non-invasive, and already part of routine checkups.

Why sensory & motor function may reflect brain health

We already know that certain physical changes can signal cognitive risk. Hearing loss, vision changes, reduced sense of smell, slower walking, weaker grip, and poor balance have all been linked to dementia risk in past research.

But most studies looked at these factors one at a time. This research took a different approach: instead of examining each measure separately, researchers combined all six into a single "sensorimotor score" to see if the bigger picture told a clearer story.

About the study

Researchers analyzed data from two large U.S. aging studies—the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study and the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA)—totaling over 1,500 older adults. People with a history of stroke, Parkinson's disease, or dementia were excluded.

The six measures were assessed using standard clinical tests: a hearing test, a vision test, a smell identification test, a balance test (standing with feet in a line), a timed walk, and a grip strength test. Researchers then combined these into one overall sensorimotor score and looked at how it related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—the stage between normal aging and dementia.

Higher sensorimotor scores linked to substantially lower MCI risk

In the ARIC group (average age 79), people with higher sensorimotor scores had 47% lower odds of MCI. In the BLSA group (average age 74), the reduction was 41%. These results held up even after accounting for age, race, sex, education, BMI, and chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and depression.

Importantly, the combined score was more strongly linked to MCI risk than any single measure on its own. While individual factors like walking speed or hearing showed some connection to cognitive health, the integrated score provided a clearer, more consistent signal.

RELATED READ: Interested In Creatine For Brain Health? Make Sure To Pair It With This 

How each measure connects to brain function

Each of the six measures taps into processes that require brain involvement:

• Balance: staying upright requires your brain to process spatial information in real time

• Grip strength: reflects coordination between your brain and muscles, especially in your upper body

• Walking speed: involves planning, navigating space, and executing movement

• Hearing: helps you stay aware of your surroundings and navigate safely

• Vision: supports orientation and reduces mental effort during movement

• Smell: is closely tied to memory centers and processes like impulse control

When several of these systems start to decline together, it may be a sign that the brain's ability to coordinate complex tasks is under strain—potentially before memory problems show up.

Protecting sensory & motor function as you age

This study looked at one point in time, so it can't prove that maintaining these functions will prevent cognitive decline. But it does suggest that keeping your senses and body in good shape may be part of a broader strategy for cognitive resilience:

• Get regular hearing and vision checkups: these are often overlooked but can catch early changes

• Prioritize aerobic exercise: activities like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming support heart and brain health; aim for at least 150 minutes per week (here's more on why VO2 max matters for longevity)

• Add strength training: grip strength was a key marker in this study, and resistance exercises support the brain-muscle connection; two to three sessions per week is a good target

• Practice balance exercises: tai chi, yoga, or simple single-leg stands can help improve stability

• Pay attention to smell changes: a gradual or sudden loss of smell is worth mentioning to your doctor

• Manage heart health risk factors: high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol can affect both sensory and motor function over time

The takeaway

Your senses and movement patterns may offer early clues about brain health. This research found that hearing, vision, smell, balance, walking speed, and grip strength—when measured together—were more strongly linked to MCI risk than any single factor alone. Paying attention to these physical markers could be just as important as memory exercises when it comes to protecting your brain.

First Real-Time Brain-Controlled Hearing Device

 Don't know if you want to wait for the perfect or need to address hearing loss now to prevent dementia! I guess the ads for Nebroo hearing aids are jumping the gun on their professed capabilities. 

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults December 2025 

The latest here:

First Real-Time Brain-Controlled Hearing Device

Summary: Researchers provided the first direct evidence that brain-controlled technology can help listeners isolate a single voice in a crowded environment. The study demonstrates a system that acts as a “neural extension,” utilizing real-time brain signals to identify which speaker a person is focusing on and automatically amplifying that specific voice.

This breakthrough addresses the “cocktail party effect”, a major limitation of conventional hearing aids, which often struggle to distinguish between overlapping conversations in noisy settings.

Key Research Findings

• The Brain-First Approach: Unlike traditional hearing aids that indiscriminately amplify all incoming sounds, this system leverages the brain’s natural ability to filter complex environments.
• Real-Time Identification: Using machine-learning algorithms, the system monitors the timing of brain wave “peaks and valleys” to match them with the specific patterns of a conversation.
• Direct Human Evidence: The study involved epilepsy patients with pre-implanted electrodes; the system correctly identified their focus and adjusted volumes instantly, significantly improving speech intelligibility and reducing “listening effort”.
• Dynamic Flexibility: The technology functioned successfully both when subjects were guided to a speaker and when they chose a conversation freely, mirroring real-world social dynamics.
• Practical Application: This research marks the transition of brain-controlled hearing from theoretical science to a functional prototype that provides immediate, real-time benefits.

Source: Columbia University

Scientists at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute have the first direct evidence from human studies that brain-controlled hearing technology can help people single out a voice in a crowd.

These early findings suggest that researchers may one day develop a hearing augmentation device that can, among other feats, overcome the problems that conventional hearing aids have with noisy surroundings.

By monitoring the synchronization of brain waves with the rhythms of specific voices, this real-time system acts as a neural extension that amplifies a listener’s intended conversation while silencing competing background noise. Credit: Neuroscience NewsTheir research was published online today in Nature Neuroscience.

“We have developed a system that acts as a neural extension of the user, leveraging the brain’s natural ability to filter through all the sounds in a complex environment to dynamically isolate the specific conversation they wish to hear,” said senior author Nima Mesgarani, PhD, a principal investigator at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute and an associate professor of electrical engineering at Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. 

“This science empowers us to think beyond traditional hearing aids, which simply amplify sound, toward a future where technology can restore the sophisticated, selective hearing of the human brain,” Dr. Mesgarani added.

In the new study, Columbia researchers teamed up with surgeons and their epilepsy patients who were undergoing brain surgery to better pinpoint the sources of their seizures. The hospital patients, who volunteered to be part of this study, already had electrodes implanted in their brains.

Dr. Mesgarani’s system used the electrodes to measure the brain activity of the patients as they focused on one of two overlapping conversations played simultaneously. The system then automatically detected which conversation a patient was paying attention to and adjusted the volume in real time, turning up that conversation while quieting the other.

For one volunteer, the experience of controlling the system with her brain was literally unbelievable. She accused the researchers of secretly adjusting the volumes. Others told stories about friends and family with hearing impairments who could benefit from such a technology. One person said: “It seems like science fiction.”

Modern hearing aids excel at amplifying speech while suppressing certain kinds of background noise, such as traffic. But they cannot separate and enhance particular voices of interest; they boost every voice coming into the microphone indiscriminately. This makes it difficult for people to concentrate on a specific talker amidst a jumble of voices. 

A promising solution to this problem is a hearing device that could mimic the way in which the human brain can typically identify and focus on just one speaker in a crowd, a phenomenon sometimes called the cocktail party effect.

In 2012, Dr. Mesgarani and his colleagues discovered ways to identify which sets of brain signals are linked with specific conversations amidst crowds of speakers. For example, the timing of peaks and valleys of brain waves can match up with the sounds and silences within a conversation. They also found that a distinct pattern of brain activity can reveal which conversation a person was focusing on and which they were filtering out.These discoveries could one day lead to real-world hearing assistance and augmentation devices that can monitor brain waves to detect and amplify the conversation a person is most interested in.

Over the course of hundreds of more studies in the past decade or so, Dr. Mesgarani and others have overcome a host of challenges attempting to make this dream a reality, such as developing computer algorithms to automatically separate out the voices of multiple speakers in a group, and then compare the voice of each speaker to the brain waves of a listener.

“The central unanswered question was whether brain-controlled hearing technology could move beyond incremental advances, towards a prototype that could help someone hear better in real time,” said Vishal Choudhari, the paper’s first author, who received his PhD in electrical engineering while in Dr. Mesgarani’s lab and who led the development and evaluation of the system.

“For the first time, we have shown that such a system that reads brain signals to selectively enhance conversations can provide a clear real-time benefit. This moves brain-controlled hearing from theory toward practical application.”

The researchers partnered with physicians and patients who volunteered to be part of the study at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine; the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, New York University School of Medicine; and the University of California San Francisco’s Department of Neurological Surgery. 

The scientists developed real-time machine-learning algorithms that could examine the brainwaves and identify which conversation the patients were paying attention to. Once deployed, their system could rapidly deduce which conversation each listener was paying attention to and make it easier for them to hear it.

This happened both when the researchers guided the subjects toward a particular conversation, and when the subjects chose freely, as would be necessary in a real-world conversation.

“For this to work in real time, the system has to be very fast, accurate and stable for the experience to feel pleasant for the listener,” Dr. Mesgarani said.

The scientists found their new system correctly identified which conversation the volunteers paid attention to. This dramatically improved the intelligibility of the speech the volunteers focused on, reduced listening effort, and was consistently preferred by the volunteers when compared to conversations the system did not provide assistance with.One volunteer recalled her uncle, who had hearing problems. “Can you imagine if this technology existed in a world [where] … he could access it? He might actually live a much more peaceful… life.”

According to the World Health Organization, more than 430 million people worldwide live with disabling hearing loss, many of whom struggle most in noisy social environments. Untreated hearing loss is a leading modifiable risk factor for dementia, as well as a primary contributor to depression and social isolation.

Scientists say this research lays the groundwork for future wearable systems that could one day integrate brain sensing with advanced audio processing. This would assist people with hearing loss and potentially augment hearing and reduce fatigue from listening for anyone in everyday challenging environments such as restaurants, classrooms, busy workplaces and family gatherings.

The scientists note that a great deal of work is needed before this technology is available in a wearable form that can work in a minimally invasive way in more complicated real-world scenarios. For instance, they would one day like to see how well their system can perform in real-world listening conditions which are more complex, Dr. Mesgarani said.

“The results mark an important step toward a new generation of brain-controlled hearing technologies that align with the listener’s intent, potentially transforming how people navigate noisy, multi-talker environments,” Dr. Choudhari added.

The full list of authors includes Vishal Choudhari, Maximilian Nentwich, Sarah Johnson, Jose L. Herrero, Stephan Bickel, Ashesh D. Mehta, Daniel Friedman, Adeen Flinker, Edward F. Chang, and Nima Mesgarani.

Funding: This work was funded by grants from the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Foundation and the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. 

Key Questions Answered:

Q: Will I need brain surgery to use this in the future?

A: While this study used surgical electrodes for precision, the ultimate goal is to develop wearable, minimally invasive systems that integrate brain sensing with audio processing for everyday use.

Q: How does the system “know” which person I’m listening to?

A: Every voice has a unique “rhythm” of sound and silence. Your brain activity syncs up with those specific rhythms when you focus. The system’s algorithms compare the brain waves of the listener to the separate voice streams it detects and “matches” them.

Q: Why is this considered a major health breakthrough?

A: Disabling hearing loss affects over 430 million people and is a primary risk factor for dementia, depression, and social isolation. Technology that makes social environments “peaceful” again could significantly reduce the cognitive fatigue and isolation associated with hearing impairment.

Editorial Notes:

• This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
• Journal paper reviewed in full.
• Additional context added by our staff.

About this auditory neuroscience and neurotech research news

Author: Nima Mesgarani, PhD
Source: Columbia University
Contact: Nima Mesgarani, PhD – Columbia University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Open access.
“Real-time brain-controlled selective hearing enhances speech perception in multi-talker environments” by Vishal Choudhari, Maximilian Nentwich, Sarah Johnson, Jose L. Herrero, Stephan Bickel, Ashesh D. Mehta, Daniel Friedman, Adeen Flinker, Edward F. Chang & Nima Mesgarani. Nature Neuroscience
DOI:10.1038/s41593-026-02281-5

Treating Hearing Loss Could Halt Dementia

Let's see how long your competent? doctor has known about this and created a protocol for testing and implementation. OH NO, NOTHING EXISTS BECAUSE INCOMPETENCE! And yet your doctor still gets paid.

• hearing loss (19 posts to February 2013) Impressive incompetence there; 13 plus years!

 

Treating Hearing Loss Could Halt Dementia

Summary: Can a simple ear surgery protect your memory? A major new study suggests the answer is yes.

By analyzing data from over 363,000 participants in the NIH’s All of Us Research Program, researchers discovered that two treatable middle ear conditions, eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma (abnormal skin growth), are linked to nearly double the odds of developing dementia. Crucially, the study found that when these conditions were treated with surgery or hearing aids, the elevated dementia risk significantly decreased or disappeared entirely.

Key Findings

• The Risk Factor: Participants with a perforated eardrum had twice the odds of dementia, while those with cholesteatoma had nearly double the risk compared to those with healthy hearing.
• The “Cure” for Cognitive Risk: For those with cholesteatoma, surgical treatment made the association with dementia nonsignificant, effectively “resetting” the risk profile to that of a healthy individual.
• Hearing Aids as a Shield: Using hearing aids also reduced the dementia link for both conditions, reinforcing the theory that keeping the brain “plugged in” to sound is vital for cognitive health.
• A Targeted Exception: Otosclerosis (a bone-related middle ear condition) was not significantly linked to dementia in this specific study, suggesting that certain types of hearing loss may impact the brain differently.

Source: AAO

A new study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the official peer-reviewed publication of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), finds that two common and treatable causes of conductive hearing loss—eardrum perforations and cholesteatoma, a type of abnormal skin growth in the middle ear—are associated with higher odds of dementia.

Notably, the study also found that treatment, whether through surgery or hearing aids, was associated with a reduction in that elevated risk.

The findings, first presented at the AAO-HNSF 2025 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in Indianapolis, Indiana, add to a growing body of evidence linking hearing loss to cognitive decline and raise an important question: if the underlying cause of hearing loss is treatable, could treating it help protect the brain?

“We have known for some time that untreated hearing loss is related to worse cognition in adults. This study shows that specific forms of surgically addressable hearing loss are also adversely related to cognition.

“But what is most exciting is that treatment with routine surgery may improve both the hearing and possibly reduce the risk of dementia,” said Justin S. Golub, MD, MS, corresponding author on the paper from the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Researchers at Columbia University and the University of Utah analyzed data from more than 363,000 participants in the All of Us Research Program, a large and diverse national health dataset sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

They found that participants with eardrum perforations had more than twice the odds of dementia compared to those without, and those with cholesteatoma had nearly twice the odds. Otosclerosis, a condition affecting the bones of the middle ear, was not significantly associated with dementia in this study.

Importantly, when surgical treatment was accounted for in the analysis, the association between cholesteatoma and dementia became nonsignificant. Treatment with hearing aids also reduced the association for both conditions, suggesting that restoring hearing, whether through surgery or devices, may play a meaningful role in lowering dementia risk.

Key Questions Answered:

Q: How can a hole in my eardrum possibly affect my brain?

A: It’s all about “cognitive load.” When you have conductive hearing loss, your brain has to work much harder to decode sound. This extra effort “steals” resources from other functions like memory. Additionally, social isolation caused by poor hearing can lead to brain atrophy.

Q: If I get surgery to fix my hearing, is the dementia risk gone?

A: The study found that for cholesteatoma, surgery made the dementia risk “nonsignificant.” While it’s not a 100% guarantee, restoring the physical pathway for sound appears to be one of the most effective ways to lower the biological risk associated with hearing loss.

Q: What if I have hearing loss but don’t want surgery?

A: Good news: the study found that hearing aids were also associated with a reduction in dementia risk. The key is simply restoring the flow of auditory information to the brain, whether through a device or a surgical fix.

Editorial Notes:

• This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
• Journal paper reviewed in full.
• Additional context added by our staff.

About this dementia and auditory neuroscience research news

Author: Tina Maggio
Source: AAO
Contact: Tina Maggio – AAO
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News

Original Research: Closed access.
“Conductive Hearing Loss Pathologies are Associated With Dementia in the All of Us Research Program” by Powell, S.D., Weinstein, H.N.W., Tucker, L.H., Denham, M.W., Gurgel, R.K. and Golub, J.S. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
DOI:10.1002/ohn.70152

A sound link: Hearing, neurogenesis, and cognition

 With your risk of dementia post stroke your competent? doctor knew enough to get your hearing tested and hearing aids acquired to reduce that risk of dementia!

Your risk of dementia, has your doctor told you of this?  Your doctor is responsible for preventing this! Is s/he willing to prevent this?

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`    

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018 

Do you prefer your doctor, hospital and board of director's incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING? Your choice; let them be incompetent or demand action!

OH NO! your doctor KNOWS NOTHING AND DOES NOTHING! 

A sound link: Hearing, neurogenesis, and cognition

Abstract

Hearing loss has been considered one of the key risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia. Liu et al.1 establish a causal link between hearing activity, hippocampal neurogenesis, and cognitive function and identify the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system as the mediator.

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

 

 Do you really think your incompetent doctor in everything stroke related will know and prevent this for you?

With your risk of dementia post stroke your doctor and hospital (If competent) need to create this protocol and have dementia prevention protocols on hand. 

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`    

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018  

Do you prefer your doctor and hospital incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING?

Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults

Hearing loss affects an estimated 13% of adults in the United States, with prevalence roughly doubling to 27% among those aged 65 years and older.1 Among adults aged 71 and older, approximately 65% experience hearing impairment.2

Hearing loss is associated not only with social isolation, depression, and anxiety, but an accumulating body of research links hearing loss to cognitive decline and dementia.3,4 Early intervention, including the use of hearing aids, may modify this risk, underscoring the importance of timely identification and management.

Evidence Linking Hearing Impairment to Cognitive Decline

“Currently, there are numerous studies that show an association between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline,” said Catherine Palmer, PhD, Director of Audiology, Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh.

In a 2023 meta-analysis, researchers observed an association between untreated hearing loss and performance on cognitive assessments such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.4

International studies corroborate these findings. Research in Poland, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and France has reported links between hearing loss and cognitive decline or dementia.5-9 For example, a Polish cohort study found that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was present in nearly 50% of participants with hearing loss compared to 26% of participants without hearing loss, with hearing loss increasing the odds of MCI by 34% (OR, 1.34; CI, 0.93-1.93).5

Further, a 2024 meta-analysis, which combined data from 50 studies encompassing more than 1.5 million participants, concluded that adult-onset hearing loss increases the risk for cognitive decline, dementia, MCI, and Alzheimer disease. The analysis further revealed a 16% increase in dementia risk for each 10-decibel worsening of hearing.10

 

We would do well to remind patients that all of these abilities go way beyond the ear: We hear with our brains.

Pathophysiological Mechanisms

Although mechanisms linking hearing loss and cognitive decline are still being investigated, several hypotheses have been proposed. “One theory is that hearing loss causes decreased stimulation of cognitive processing,” explained Seiji Shibata, MD, PhD, Otolaryngologist and Assistant Professor, Keck Medicine, University of Southern California. “In addition, there are a number of human and animal studies that have shown that there are structural changes in the auditory cortex associated with hearing loss.”

Kasia M Bieszczad, PhD, Associate Professor, Rutgers University, explained the hypothesis that “difficulty listening bears a burden on the brain that leads to brain dysfunction over time—this is the ‘cognitive load’ hypothesis.” There could also be an “indirect causation if hearing loss and difficulty listening lead to social isolation, and the social retraction over time—sometimes decades of isolation—leads to unhealthy brain function.”

The “common cause” hypothesis suggests that shared neurodegenerative processes may underlie both hearing loss and dementia. Dr Bieszczad explained, “I describe this as the auditory system being a ‘canary in the coal mine’ of cognitive decline.”

Clinical Screening and Assessment

Given the high prevalence of hearing loss and its associated comorbidities, the “recommendation is to get an annual hearing test by an audiologist or certified clinician for earlier detection,” Dr Shibata said. “I would also recommend getting a hearing test if a patient has been diagnosed with dementia.”

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Clinical Practice Guideline for Age-Related Hearing Loss recommends screening for individuals aged 50 years and older.11 “Ideally, individuals would be screened at this time and receive a full hearing evaluation if they fail the screening,” Dr Palmer said. She emphasized that a “focus on hearing screening becoming ubiquitous in primary care and geriatric settings would support timely access to hearing care.”

Dr Bieszczad compared hearing screening to vision checks, saying, “Most people will understand what ’20/20′ means for vision, and they know their number. We might do well to promote knowing your ‘hearing number,’ and there is a great initiative on this point.”

For patients undergoing cognitive testing, Dr Palmer recommended ensuring a prior hearing assessment. “If the person has hearing loss, clinicians should, at a minimum, use an amplifier during cognitive screening or testing to account for any issues with audibility, given that most cognitive tests are delivered orally.” She continued, “Without amplification, the hearing loss may directly impact the test results, not because of cognition, but because the message wasn’t received clearly.”

Hearing Interventions and Cognitive Outcomes

“Several observational studies have reported some protection against cognitive losses in older adults who use well-fit hearing aids,” Dr Palmer said. In one meta-analysis, hearing aid use was associated with a 19% decrease in the long-term risk for cognitive decline.4

Additionally, a cross-sectional, prospective cohort study conducted in Japan found a significant negative correlation between hearing threshold and cognitive function among patients older than 55 years with hearing loss and no history of hearing aid use. In contrast, no such correlation was observed in those with hearing loss who had been using hearing aids for more than 3 years. The authors concluded that the average pure-tone audiometry hearing threshold of 38.75 dB or greater of hearing loss “may be a risk factor for cognitive decline among hearing aid non-users who are in midlife and beyond,” and that “long-term use of hearing aids may potentially reduce this risk.”7

However, in the multicenter ACHIEVE randomized controlled trial (Clinicaltrial.gov Identifier: NCT03243422) of 977 older adults, hearing aids did not reduce the progression of cognitive decline over a 3-year period.12 “But there is hope, because a subset of people that were already at higher risk for cognitive decline due to other factors, such as cardiovascular risk, did show a 48% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline if they wore hearing aids,” compared with participants in the control group, Dr Bieszczad said. “So all in all, wearing hearing aids may have an overall positive effect on hearing and brain health, but there is more to the story than hearing aids and auditory care.”12

Clinical Recommendations and Best Practices

To address hearing loss and potential cognitive risks, Dr Palmer emphasized that the “best approach is to provide well-fit hearing aids to individuals with hearing loss.”

“It is best to start using hearing aids prior to significant cognitive decline so the use is automatic and not something the individual is trying to learn when short-term memory might be impacted,” she advised. “Earlier intervention is best not only for the help it will provide but also to support long-term use.”

The US Food and Drug Administration’s 2022 approval of over-the-counter hearing aids has increased accessibility and affordability.13 However, Dr Shibata added,”In the event of moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss, a cochlear implant has been shown to be effective towards improving cognitive function.”14

Dr Bieszczad suggested that clinicians promote the idea to patients that wearing hearing aids may help their cognitive brain health. “Some may find it a more compelling argument, and motivation, to wear hearing aids to possibly avoid dementia, rather than to ‘simply’ correct their hearing,” she explained.

Research Directions and Implications for Clinical Practice

Among the ongoing questions regarding this topic, Dr Shibata pointed to the need for further research to determine the exact mechanisms by which hearing loss may lead to dementia. “This kind of research will inform the development of new biomarkers and better neuroimaging for earlier detection and prevention.”

Dr Palmer cited the need for more research on the impact of improving hearing on the onset and progression of cognitive decline, though she emphasized the importance of not “overstating the relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline given the current data.”15 She noted that statements from some professional groups have discussed “population-level risk, which is often misinterpreted as individual-level risk, making the risk appear larger than it may actually be.” 

Considering the possibility of an indirect “common cause” in hearing impairment and cognitive decline, researchers may “gain valuable insight into what process might be using the auditory system and then invent new therapies that can be tested in the auditory system and then applied to the whole brain to ultimately slow or stop the course of general cognitive decline,” Dr Bieszczad explained. “We might also find clever ways to use the auditory brain system to uncover very early life biomarkers that could identify people at risk decades before the onset of dementia,” allowing for earlier intervention.

She concluded, “Our most sophisticated abilities as humans have so much to do with how we hear and listen in the world. We use language, sing, play music, dance, and socialize, and these are all highly sophisticated cognitive functions rooted in sound, hearing, and listening… We would do well to remind patients that all of these abilities go way beyond the ear: We hear with our brains.”

Hearing Loss May Play a Bigger Role in Dementia Than Previously Thought

 Do you really think your incompetent doctor in everything stroke related will know and prevent this for you?

With your risk of dementia post stroke your doctor and hospital (If competent) need to create this protocol and have dementia prevention protocols on hand. 

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`    

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018  

Do you prefer your doctor and hospital incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING?

Hearing Loss May Play a Bigger Role in Dementia Than Previously Thought

Nearly 1 in 3 dementia cases linked with audiometric hearing loss, study suggests

by Judy George, Deputy Managing Editor, MedPage Today April 17, 2025 • 4 min read

Key Takeaways

• Up to 32% of dementia cases may be attributable to audiometric hearing loss, U.S. data suggested.
• Population attributable fractions were similar for both mild and moderate or greater hearing loss.
• Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with increased dementia risk.

Hearing loss may play a bigger role in dementia than previously thought, data from a U.S. cohort study suggested.

In a sample of nearly 3,000 older adults, up to 32% (95% CI 11.0%-46.5%) of incident dementia over 8 years could be attributable to any degree of audiometric hearing loss, reported Jason Smith, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and co-authors.

Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were similar by hearing loss severity. For mild hearing loss, the PAF was 16.2% (95% CI 4.2%-24.2%). For moderate or greater hearing loss, it was 16.6% (95% CI 3.9%-24.3%), Smith and colleagues wrote in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

PAFs were larger in people ages 75 and older (30.5%), women (30.8%), and white participants (27.8%) compared with those younger than age 75, male, and Black. Self-reported hearing loss was not associated with increased dementia risk.

The sample came from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) neurocognitive study and included people who identified as either Black or white from four U.S. sites.

The findings mean that "up to 32% of population-level dementia risk could potentially be delayed or prevented if we completely treated hearing loss, assuming there is a causal association between hearing loss and dementia," Smith told MedPage Today. "It implies there could be broad benefits for dementia prevention with interventions for this risk factor even in later life."

The PAF is the maximum proportion of dementia that could be attributed to hearing loss in a population of both exposed and unexposed individuals. It accounts for both the relative risk and prevalence of hearing loss.

The PAF of 32% in this study was substantially higher than other estimates. The 2020 Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention reported a global PAF of 8.2% for hearing loss, for example.

One reason for the wide variance "is that we measured audiometric hearing loss," Smith told MedPage Today. "Some prior PAF research has measured hearing loss using self-report. Self-report underestimates hearing loss prevalence in older adults -- it is likely capturing a separate, distinct construct -- and, by extension, could underestimate the PAF associated with hearing loss," he explained.

"Pure-tone audiometry is more sensitive than self-report in capturing clinically significant hearing loss in older adults," Smith added. Earlier research from the National Health and Aging Trends Study suggested that up to 17% of U.S. dementia cases could be attributable to moderate or greater audiometric hearing loss, for example.

PAFs assume a causal relationship and because this study used observational data, it doesn't provide evidence on whether hearing impairment causes dementia, noted Thomas Littlejohns, PhD, of the University of Oxford in England, on the U.K. Science Media Center website.

"For example, we can't tell from these results whether hearing problems are related to dementia through other factors common to aging or whether hearing problems are a consequence, rather than a cause, of dementia." Littlejohns wrote. "The latter is a particular problem in observational data, as dementia develops over many years and it is possible that hearing problems emerge in the early stages of dementia (similar to memory problems) before a clinical diagnosis is made."

The ACHIEVE trial recently tested the effect of a hearing intervention over 3 years in cognitively healthy older adults with hearing loss, including 238 participants from the ARIC study and 739 older adults recruited from the community. In the ARIC group, treating hearing loss reduced the rate of 3-year cognitive decline by 48% compared with controls. No effect was seen in the community sample.

In the current analysis, Smith and colleagues evaluated 2,946 ARIC participants in Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Minnesota who were dementia-free at baseline and had up to 8 years of follow-up.

Mean age was about 75 years; 59.4% were female, 21.6% were Black, and 78.4% were white. Overall, 1,947 participants (66.1%) had audiometric hearing loss and 1,097 people (37.2%) had self-reported hearing loss.

Incident all-cause dementia was identified using a standardized algorithm. Models used to estimate hazard ratios of incident dementia were adjusted for age, sex, race, education, APOE4 status, hypertension, diabetes, body mass index, smoking status, stroke history, and hearing aid use.

Because self-reported hearing loss was not tied to dementia risk, its PAF could not be determined, the researchers noted.

The analysis had several limitations, they acknowledged. The data came from a community-based cohort of self-identified Black and white adults and the generalizability of prevalence estimates to the wider U.S. population could be limited. By design, ARIC oversampled adults who self-identified as Black for greater representation.

The study also could not account for the potential cumulative effects of hearing loss on dementia risk, Smith and colleagues said.

• Judy George covers neurology and neuroscience news for MedPage Today, writing about brain aging, Alzheimer’s, dementia, MS, rare diseases, epilepsy, autism, headache, stroke, Parkinson’s, ALS, concussion, CTE, sleep, pain, and more. Follow

Disclosures

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study is supported by the NIH.

Smith reported relationships with the National Institute on Aging and the Cochlear Center Epidemiology Scholarship for Sensory Loss in Aging.

Co-authors reported relationships with the NIH and the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health one reported being a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, Neosensory, from 2021 to 2023.

Littlejohns had no conflicts of interest.

Primary Source

JAMA Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery

Source Reference: Ishak E, et al "Population attributable fraction of incident dementia associated with hearing loss" JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2025; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0192.