Difficulty understanding speech in noise was associated with faster thinning in speech-processing brain networks.These associations persisted after adjusting for hearing thresholds and hearing aid use.Speech-in-noise deficits may signal broader neural vulnerability before cognitive decline appears.
Difficulty understanding speech in background noise was tied to brain changes in speech-processing networks and may be an early behavioral marker of neural vulnerability before cognitive decline, a study of older adults suggested.
Over 3 years, poorer baseline speech-in-noise performance was associated with faster cortical thinning in the inferior parietal (β = -0.002), precuneus (β = -0.001), middle temporal cortex (β = −0.001), and superior temporal sulcus regions (β = -0.001), reported Julien Zanin, PhD, of the University of Melbourne in Australia, and co-authors.
These associations remained significant after adjusting for hearing thresholds and hearing aid use, the researchers wrote in JAMA Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
"We found that speech-in-noise impairment was more closely related to structural brain change than hearing thresholds alone," Zanin said. "Older adults who had more difficulty understanding speech in noise showed faster cortical thinning in regions involved in speech processing, attention, and higher-order cognitive function," he pointed out.
