Your Brain On... Hearing Loss

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May 15, 2024

The podcast discusses the impact of hearing loss on cognitive decline, the distinction between 'hearing' and 'listening', recent studies linking hearing loss with neurodegenerative diseases, advancements in hearing aid technology, and the relationship between tinnitus and brain responses.

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INSIGHT

Hearing Loss is Gradual

Hearing loss isn't a sudden event but a gradual decline.
Track your "hearing number" with a smartphone app to monitor this decline.

INSIGHT

Four Components of Hearing

Hearing involves four components: sound, conduction, sensorineural processing, and brain decoding.
Inner ear cells critical for translating sound into neural signals can't regenerate, unlike other body cells.

INSIGHT

Hearing vs. Listening

Hearing is simply perceiving sound, while listening is making sense of it.
Listening involves multiple brain regions like Wernicke's, Broca's area, amygdala and hippocampus.

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How does hearing loss change the brain and contribute to cognitive decline?

The human capacity to hear is incredible. In milliseconds, sound vibrations are transformed into mechanical energy, then sensorineural signals, and then, in our brains, a universe of meaning and memory.

When that sense begins to fade, either due to aging or because of causative damage, our brains can become understimulated, potentially leading to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

But, with accessibility research, technology, and policy continuing to strengthen and converge, the future promises to be brighter for everyone experiencing hearing loss.

In this episode of ‘YOUR BRAIN ON...’, we discuss:

• The different kinds and causes of hearing loss

• The relationship between aging and hearing loss

• The neurological distinction between ‘hearing’ and ‘listening’

• The recent groundbreaking studies which have made the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline clearer than ever

• How associated conditions like tinnitus impact the brain

• What’s coming next in hearing aid technology

This episode, we’re joined by:

DR. FRANK LIN, Director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins, who headed major research into how hearing loss contributes to increased risk of neurodegenerative disease.

DR. DOUGLAS BECK, renowned audiologist and co-host of the Hearing Matters podcast, who talks about the past and future of hearing aid devices, how to protect your hearing, and why listening — not hearing — is a whole-brain event.

DR. KRISTIN BARRY, researcher and tinnitus expert, who breaks down the various types of tinnitus and explains how the effects of tinnitus can be observed in the brain.

‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neuroscientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.

‘Your Brain On... HEARING LOSS’ • SEASON 2 • EPISODE 3

LINKS

Dr. Frank Lin

Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health: https://jhucochlearcenter.org/

The Hearing Number: https://hearingnumber.org/

Dr. Douglas Beck

Dr. Beck’s website: http://www.douglaslbeck.com/

The Hearing Matters podcast: https://hearingmatterspodcast.com/

Dr. Kristin Barry

Dr. Barry at the University of Western Australia: https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/persons/kristin-barry

Dr. Barry’s TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKY-hohg8wM

Join the NEURO Academy: NEUROacademy.com

Instagram: @thebraindocs

Website: TheBrainDocs.com

More info and episodes: TheBrainDocs.com/Podcast