Do hearing aids lower the risk of dementia?

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1. 1

   Hearing Intervention for Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: The CHOICE Randomized Clinical Trial.

   JAMA neurology (Chen et al.)Published Sep 28, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “No significant difference was observed in the primary outcome, in which the conversion rate from MCI to dementia-level impairment was 3.09% (95% CI, 1.62%-5.74%) in the intervention group vs 4.74% (95% CI, 2.60%-8.29%) in the control group (risk difference [RD], -2.07%; 95% CI, -4.74% to 0.61%; relative risk [RR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.25-1.38; P = .23). Meanwhile, prespecified secondary analysis demonstrated that hearing intervention increased the rate of cognitive improvement (15.34%; 95% CI, 11.84%-19.62% vs 2.36%; 95% CI, 0.99%-5.22%; RD, 12.00%; 95% CI, 8.79%-15.21%; RR, 5.94; 95% CI, 2.46-14.37). No study-related adverse events were reported.Conclusions and relevanceIn this study, among older adults with mild cognitive impairment and coexisting hearing loss, a hearing aid intervention did not significantly reduce the incidence of dementia-level impairment at 24 months.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR2000036139.”

2. 2

   Hearing Loss, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia: Clinical Intersections.

   Audiology research (Powell et al.)Published Jun 30, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Accumulating evidence indicates that hearing loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and increased dementia risk. Proposed mechanisms include increased cognitive load, reduced sensory input, social isolation, depression, and shared neurodegenerative or vascular pathology, although causal pathways remain incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that hearing rehabilitation may help preserve cognitive function in some groups, but findings remain heterogeneous. Clinical studies further support the importance of considering auditory function during cognitive assessment, as unrecognized hearing impairment may influence test performance, communication, and diagnostic accuracy. Current evidence supports hearing loss as an important factor in cognitive aging and dementia research and highlights the potential value of integrating hearing assessment and management into clinical and research settings.”

3. 3

   Effects of hearing intervention on blood-based biomarkers of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration: a secondary analysis of the ACHIEVE randomised controlled trial.

   EClinicalMedicine (Pike et al.)Published Sep 3, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Covariate-adjusted linear mixed effects models estimated intention-to-treat effects on 3-year change in inverse-normal transformed values of GFAP and NfL.FindingsParticipants in the analytic sample (n = 164) were mean (SD) age 78.1 (2.9) years, 64.0% female, and 73.2% White. Over three years, hearing intervention was associated with a slower rise in GFAP (intervention: -0.026; 95% CI: -0.144, 0.093, control: 0.149; 95% CI: 0.039, 0.260; difference: -0.175; 95% CI: -0.322, -0.028; p-difference: 0.019) and NfL (intervention: 0.171; 95% CI: 0.022, 0.319, control: 0.330; 95 %CI: 0.185, 0.475, difference: -0.159; 95 %CI: -0.348, 0.029; p-difference: 0.098).InterpretationRandomisation to hearing intervention was associated with a slower three-year rise in a blood-based biomarker of neuroinflammation. Comparable estimates were observed for neurodegeneration, although the effect was not statistically significant. Findings suggest that hearing intervention may reduce the rate of change in non-specific blood-based biomarkers associated with brain health and dementia progression.FundingUS National Institutes of Health.”

4. 4

   Speech Perception in Noise: A Narrative Review of Cognitive Contribution and Hearing-Aid Signal Processing.

   Journal of Intelligence (Monzani et al.)Published Sep 21, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Within the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model, this paper describes how degraded acoustic input shifts processing from rapid, implicit lexical access toward explicit working-memory-dependent reconstruction. The actual evidence indicates (i) that working memory, in particular, could predict aided speech recognition under adverse conditions, (ii) that aging dissociates these processes, and (iii) that longitudinal studies link hearing-aid use to slower cognitive decline.ConclusionsSpeech perception in noise is a coordinated neurocognitive process rather than a purely auditory task. Working memory is a central cognitive contributor, with effects that become evident specifically under adverse conditions. In particular, fast-acting compression and frequency lowering may be counterproductive for listeners in case working memory or speech processing are reduced. The success of different algorithms applied to audio signal processing of hearing aid, designed to compensate for difficult comprehension of words and phrases in noisy scenarios is also strictly dependent on working memory, and artificial intelligence significantly contributes to this goal.”

5. 5

   Hearing loss (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Oct 4, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Hearing loss is either a partial inability to hear, or a total inability termed deafness. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken language. In adults, it can create difficulties with social interaction and at work. Hearing loss can be temporary or permanent. Hearing loss related to age usually affects both ears and is due to cochlear hair cell loss. In some people, particularly older people, hearing loss can result in isolation and loneliness. Hearing loss may be caused by a number of factors, including: genetics, ageing, exposure to noise, some infections, birth complications, trauma to the ear or brain, and certain medications or toxins. A common condition that results in hearing loss is chronic ear infections. Certain infections during pregnancy, such as cytomegalovirus, syphilis and rubella, may also cause hearing loss in the child. Hearing loss is diagnosed when hearing testing finds that a person is unable to hear 25 decibels in at least one ear. Testing for poor hearing is recommended for all newborns.”