Abstract
PurposeThis article aimed to document longitudinal changes in auditory function, including measures of temporal processing, and to examine the associations between observed changes in auditory and cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.MethodThis was a prospective longitudinal study of 98 adults (66 women) with baseline ages ranging from 40 to 85 years. The mean interval between T1 baseline and T2 follow-up measurements was 8.8 years with a range of 7–11 years. Measures of hearing threshold, gap detection, and auditory temporal-order identification were completed at T1 and T2. Cognitive measures completed at T1 and T2 were the 13 scales of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition. Three approaches were taken to analyze these data: (a) examination of changes over time in group performance, (b) correlations and slopes between auditory and cognitive measures to examine concomitant rates of decline over the 9-year T1-to-T2 period, and (c) regression analyses examining associations between auditory performance at T1 and cognitive performance 9 years later at T2.ResultsFor the group data, there were significant declines in hearing loss, gap-detection thresholds at one frequency, and process-type measures of cognitive function from T1 to T2 matching the trends in the baseline cross-sectional data. Regression analyses of the longitudinal data revealed the strongest connection between auditory temporal-order processing and cognitive processing typically explaining 10%–15% of the variance.ConclusionsA significant amount of variance in rates of cognitive decline, T1 to T2, and subsequent cognitive performance (T2) was explained by measures of auditory function. Although hearing loss occasionally emerged as a significant factor, auditory temporal-order identification emerged much more frequently as the auditory measure most strongly associated with cognitive function.
Highlights
(c) regression analyses examining associations between auditory performance at T1 and cognitive performance 9 years later at T2
Babkoff and Fostick (2017) measured dichotic temporal-order judgment for 15-ms, 1000-Hz pure tones and observed a longitudinal decline over the age range of 22–82 years (N = 58). No such decline was observed in the same participants for gap-detection threshold for a 1000-Hz pure tone
A mixed general linear model (GLM) analysis was performed with within-subject variables of test (T1, T2), ear, and frequency (250–8000 Hz) and a between-subjects variable of gender
Summary
(c) regression analyses examining associations between auditory performance at T1 and cognitive performance 9 years later at T2. Regression analyses of the longitudinal data revealed the strongest connection between auditory temporal-order processing and cognitive processing typically explaining 10%–15% of the variance. Hearing loss occasionally emerged as a significant factor, auditory temporal-order identification emerged much more frequently as the auditory measure most strongly associated with cognitive function. Babkoff and Fostick (2017) measured dichotic temporal-order judgment for 15-ms, 1000-Hz pure tones and observed a longitudinal decline over the age range of 22–82 years (N = 58). No such decline was observed in the same participants for gap-detection threshold for a 1000-Hz pure tone
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
