Hearing loss and executive functions – results from a population-based cohort study

Julia Döge, Daniëlle Otten, Berit Hackenberg, Karoline O’Brien, Manfred E Beutel, Isabel Heinrich, Jörn M Schattenberg, Stavros V Konstantinides, Thomas Münzel, Karl J Lackner, Irene Schmidtmann, Julian Chalabi, Alexander K Schuster, Philipp S Wild, Christoph Matthias and Katharina Bahr-Hamm

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: Introduction: Hearing loss is linked to cognitive decline, yet its relation to specific executive functions remains unclear. This study examines associations between planning ability, pure-tone audiometry and speech-in-noise performance. Methods: Data were drawn from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), a large population-based cohort at the University Medical Center Mainz. Participants with complete pure-tone audiometry and planning ability data were included (N = 4,458; 2,314 males (51.9%), 2,144 (48.1%) females; mean age 58.0 ± 10.1 years, range 40–80). Audiologic testing included air- and bone-conduction pure-tone audiometry; hearing impairment was defined by WHO threshold. Speech-in-noise perception was measured using the German Matrix Test “Oldenburg Satztest”. Planning ability was assessed using the Freiburg version of the Tower of London. Associations were analyzed with linear and logistic regression. Results: Hearing loss (HL ≥ 20 dB; both ears) revealed a significant negative association with planning ability total score (β = −0.346, p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0351409

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0351409

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