Advances in Hearing Loss with Tinnitus and Cognitive Performance

Dear Colleagues,

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), which includes peripheral and central auditory dysfunction, is a modifiable condition linked to cognitive impairment and dementia. ARHL usually accompanies tinnitus, which is associated with cognitive impairment, and animal studies also indicate a link between ARHL and cognitive impairment. Hearing amplification using hearing aids or cochlear implants have been shown effective in the alleviation of tinnitus, as well as improvement in the performance of auditory and multiple cognitive domains.

Until recently, the underlying causal relationship between auditory and cognitive impairment in ARHL remained elusive. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the mechanistic basis of this relationship, including: (1) Cognitive load hypothesis; (2) Sensory deprivation or cascade hypothesis; (3) Information degradation or overdiagnosis hypothesis; and (4) Common cause hypothesis. However, no one mechanism can fully account for the heterogenous phenotypes observed in ARHL with tinnitus and cognitive impairment. The accumulation of chronic stress during aging can result in allostatic loads and vulnerabilities in multi-physiological systems and this will, in turn, increase the risk of auditory and cognitive impairment due to maladaptive neuroplasticity. Brain reserve, as well as auditory and cognitive reserves, can alter the trajectory of auditory and cognitive performance despite significant neuropathologies. Brain reserve is dependent on genetic background, and auditory and cognitive reserve may be improved by experience-dependent neuroplasiticity. Such changes in neuroplasticity can stem from long-term environmental enrichment, including dual language learning, music training, and hearing amplification in patients with hearing loss.

The topic of this Special Issue “Advances in hearing loss with tinnitus and cognitive performance” is focused on the association between hearing loss and/or tinnitus and cognitive performance. We are keenly interested in contributions from multidisciplinary investigators in both basic and clinical science that outline cutting-edge studies with an emphasis on cellular and molecular mechanisms of age-related hearing loss with tinnitus and cognitive performance. Submission of original research reports, as well as communications and perspectives are welcome.

Qingwei Ruan, Bing Chen and Francesco Panza
Guest Editors

Manuscripts should be submitted via our online editorial system at https://imr.propub.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to start your submission. Manuscripts can be submitted now or up until the deadline. All papers will go through peer-review process. Accepted papers will be published in the journal (as soon as accepted) and meanwhile listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, reviews as well as short communications are preferred. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office to announce on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts will be thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. Please visit the Instruction for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) in this open access journal is 2200 USD. Submitted manuscripts should be well formatted in good English.