{"id":1197,"date":"2022-03-09T23:54:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T06:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/?p=1197"},"modified":"2022-03-09T23:54:34","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T06:54:34","slug":"study-finds-unexpected-brain-shrinkage-in-patients-with-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/study-finds-unexpected-brain-shrinkage-in-patients-with-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Finds Unexpected Brain Shrinkage in Patients with Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A recent study from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine has shed new light on the connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease (AD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>New Findings Can Help Explain Link Between Dementia and  Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1253272878-1280x853.jpg\" alt=\"Older man looking out window of home.\" class=\"wp-image-1199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1253272878-1280x853.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1253272878-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1253272878-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-1253272878-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Medical professionals have known about the link between hearing loss and an increase in cognitive decline for some time. The exact cause of the link is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this study points to <a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.illinois.edu\/carle-illinois-research-reveals-new-insight-into-links-between-alzheimers-disease-and-hearing-loss\/news\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">higher brain shrinkage in the brainstem and cerebellum<\/a> in patients with both hearing loss and AD. These areas of the brain control movement, balance and aid in auditory processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dan Llano, lead researcher and associate professor of biomedical and translational science at Carle Illinois, believes this research could aid in the discovery of early intervention measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u201cOur hope is that eventually this work will help us to come up with better diagnostic and treatment strategies for Alzheimer\u2019s Disease and dementia more generally,\u201d said Llano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Hearing Loss and Brain Atrophy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Previous studies have found that hearing loss may contribute to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/wellness-and-prevention\/the-hidden-risks-of-hearing-loss#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBrain%20scans%20show%20us%20that,factors%20may%20contribute%20to%20dementia.%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faster rate of atrophy<\/a> in the brain. This may happen for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>When you have hearing loss your brain stops picking up certain sounds. The longer those parts of the brain that would process those sounds go without stimulation, the more likely they are to atrophy.<\/li><li>Socializing becomes more difficult with hearing loss. Your brain has to work harder to follow conversations. This can make you feel frustrated and depressed. It can even lead you to isolate from others. Social isolation has been known to accelerate dementia.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Hearing Aids Could Help Prevent Cognitive Decline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Early intervention with <a href=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/audiologist\/benefits-of-hearing-aids\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing aids<\/a> may prevent or delay the onset of cognitive decline. They make it easier for you to comprehend speech and sound, which:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Helps combat exhaustion and mental fatigue<\/li><li>Provides your brain with the right amount of stimulation to help prevent atrophy<\/li><li>Makes it easier to socialize with family and friends at places like <a href=\"https:\/\/scottystable.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Scotty\u2019s Table<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are concerned about hearing loss or have had loved ones comment on your hearing, make an appointment for a <a href=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/audiologist\/hearing-loss-testing\/\">hearing test.<\/a> The earlier your condition is detected and treated with hearing aids, the more benefit you\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on hearing loss and cognitive decline or to schedule an appointment, please call <span class=\"company-name \">Western Montana Hearing and Speech<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/the-connection-between-loud-noise-exposure-and-hypertension\/\" class=\"related-post\">The Connection Between Loud Noise Exposure and Hypertension<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/fall-hearing-aid-care-tips-for-the-changing-season\/\" class=\"related-post\">Fall Hearing Aid Care: Tips for the Changing Season<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/the-importance-of-custom-earplugs-for-protecting-your-hearing\/\" class=\"related-post\">The Importance of Custom Earplugs for Protecting Your Hearing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent study from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine has shed new light on the connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease (AD). New Findings Can Help Explain Link Between Dementia and Hearing Loss Medical professionals have known about the link between hearing loss and an increase in cognitive decline for some time. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"A study from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine has shed new light on the connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1197"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1203,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197\/revisions\/1203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmontanahearingandspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}