Ralli Massimo, Gilardi Antonio, Stadio Arianna Di, Severini Cinzia, Salzano Francesco Antonio, Greco Antonio, Vincentiis Marco de
Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy Department of Sense Organs Sapienza University of Rome Italy.
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Perugia, Italy Department of Otolaryngology University of Perugia Italy.
Int Tinnitus J. 2019 Sep 4;23(2):79-85. doi: 10.5935/0946-5448.20190014.
Many studies have focused on the relationship between hearing loss and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The mechanisms and causal relationship of this association are still partially unknown, and several theories have been proposed. The most accredited hypothesis is that peripheral hearing deprivation may lead to social isolation and subsequently to dementia. Another hypothesis supports the role of hearing loss on cortical processing, with an increased assignment of cognitive resources to auditory processing rather than to other cognitive processes; other theories suggest changes in the brain structure following reduced peripheral auditory stimulation, or a common cause to both conditions. These preliminary findings clearly delineate the importance of further research aimed at investigating hearing impairment in AD, to a) allow early detection of people with predisposition to AD, b) improve the quality of life in AD patients with hearing loss and c) possibly prevent the progression of the disease treating the hearing impairment. In this review paper, the authors discuss current evidence on the association between hearing impairment and dementia, the identification of peripheral and central auditory dysfunction in at-risk patients as a potential early indicator of incipient AD, and the clinical aspects and the management of patients with AD and hearing loss.
许多研究都聚焦于听力损失与阿尔茨海默病（AD）之间的关系。这种关联的机制和因果关系仍部分不明，并且已经提出了几种理论。最被认可的假说是外周听力剥夺可能导致社会隔离，进而导致痴呆。另一种假说支持听力损失对皮层处理的作用，即认知资源更多地分配给听觉处理而非其他认知过程；其他理论则提出外周听觉刺激减少后大脑结构的变化，或者这两种情况存在共同原因。这些初步发现清楚地表明了进一步研究AD中听力障碍的重要性，目的是：a）早期发现易患AD的人群；b）改善有听力损失的AD患者的生活质量；c）通过治疗听力障碍可能预防疾病进展。在这篇综述论文中，作者讨论了关于听力障碍与痴呆关联的当前证据、识别高危患者外周和中枢听觉功能障碍作为早期AD潜在早期指标的情况，以及AD和听力损失患者的临床方面和管理。
