The Auditory Brain and Age-Related Hearing Impairment

The Auditory Brain and Age-Related Hearing Impairment provides an overview of the interaction between age-related hearing impairments and cognitive brain function. This monograph elucidates the techniques used in the connectome and other brain-network studies based on electrophysiological methods. Discussions of the manifestations of age-related hearing impairment, the causes of degradation of sound processing, compensatory changes in the human brain, and rehabilitation and intervention are included. There is currently a surge in content on aging and hearing loss, the benefits of hearing aids and implants, and the correlation between hearing loss, cognitive decline and early onset of dementia.

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, thus this area needs more attention.

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

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