Older adults fitted with cochlear implants exhibit poor brain function

(Frontiers) Older adults fitted with a cochlear implant to compensate for severe hearing loss have significantly poorer cognitive function than their normal-hearing counterparts. Hearing loss is a risk factor for cognitive decline, so this new finding suggests cochlear implants cannot fully compensate for this deterioration in brain function. Rehabilitation treatment should be tailored to the cognitive profile of cochlear implant patients, with further research determining the impact of cochlear implants on cognition and its decline.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news