A hearing test to measure how the brain responds to sound, rather than how well the ears work, could help diagnose dementia according to researchers.
In the nonverbal ‘brain hearing’ test, people are asked to identify one sound played into one ear while a different sound is played into the other. The test shows how effectively the brain separates and interprets competing noises, such as when in a busy environment like a restaurant.
In a study of a mixed group of people, some with dementia and others without, those with most forms of dementia performed worse in the nonverbal test.
The brain had to separate competing sounds and the person pointed to pictures matching the sounds. The results across the group closely related to their real life hearing experience and, for people with dementia, the brain-related changes seen in their conditions.
The study was carried out by the Dementia Research Centre at UCL Queens Square Institute of Neurology and funded by The Alzheimer’s Society.
The results suggest that the nonverbal test could distinguish those with dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, from those without. The ‘brain hearing’ test could therefore be useful in diagnosis.
Joint lead author of the study, Dr Chris Hardy, said: “Understanding whether hearing loss is associated with the ear or the brain is critically important. If you have brain hearing loss, but not peripheral hearing loss, then hearing aids are unlikely to help.”
The study also points up the importance of hearing for people with dementia.
More on this study appears on our research page.