Effect of Hearing Aid Acclimatization on Speech-in-Noise Perception and Its Relationship With Changes in Auditory Long Latency Responses

Effect of hearing aids on attention, memory, and auditory evoked potentials: A pragmatic, single-blinded, and randomised pilot clinical trial

PURPOSE

To compare the effects of hearing aids and their technology levels (premium and basic) on attention, memory, brain response, and self-perceived benefit amongst individuals who were naïve to sound amplification.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A pragmatic, single-blinded, and randomised pilot clinical trial in three-parallel arms according to hearing aids technology: (a) premium; (b) basic; and (c) no amplification hearing devices. Participants were ≥60 years old with mild-to-moderate sensorineural symmetric hearing loss and naïve to sound amplification. We tested attention and memory skills, as well as brain response and self-perceived benefit before and after 12 weeks of using the hearing devices. The primary outcome was any improvement in the tests we performed.

RESULTS

The participants who missed the follow-up (n = 2) were excluded from our final analysis. We ended up with 22 patients (A = 8, B = 6, and C = 8) who were 80.4 (±6.1) years old, predominantly female (63.63%), and poorly educated (3.8 ± 1.6 years). After the intervention, we observed differences in attention and memory scores (reverse counting, P < .01, 95% CI 2.2; 11.63; digit sequence repetition, P = .03, 95% CI -1.9; -0.05; delayed recall, P = .03, 95% CI -1.2; -0.05; recognition, P < .01, 95% CI -2.6; -0.45; and visual memory, P < .01, 95% CI -0.9; -0.15), but only reverse counting (A vs C, P < .01,95% CI 5.9; 20.55) and recognition (B vs C, P < .01, 95% CI -6.1; -0.88) were observed in pairwise comparisons. The difference in N1 wave latency (/g/ sound, P = .01,95% CI 2.1; 18.59) could not be confirmed in pairwise comparison. The self-perceived benefit questionnaire revealed no difference between groups A and B; the groups A and C differed in benefit (P < .01, 95% CI -2.2; -0.76), satisfaction (P = .02,95% CI -2.0;-0.21), residual participation restrictions (P = .01, 95% CI -2.9; -0.38), and quality of life (P = .03, 95% CI -1.4; -0.08); the groups B and C differed in benefit (P < .001, 95% CI -2.3; -0.96), and satisfaction (P = .01,95% CI -2.1; -0.29).

CONCLUSION

In this study, premium and basic hearing aids impacted attention, memory, brain response, and self-perceived benefit similarly amongst individuals who were naïve to sound amplification after 12 weeks of using the hearing devices.