Dataset Information

Neurocognitive function in children with cochlear implants and hearing aids: a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To systematically review the existing literature that examines the relationship between cognition, hearing, and language in children using cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Method

The review has been registered in Prospero (Registration: CRD 42020203974). The review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and examined the scientific literature in VHL, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, and Embase. It included original observational studies in children using hearing aids and/or cochlear implants who underwent cognitive and auditory and/or language tests. Data were extracted from the studies and their level of evidence was graded with the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine: Levels of Evidence. Meta-analysis could not be performed due to data heterogeneity. Outcomes are described in narrative and tables synthesis.

Results

The systematic search and subsequent full-text evaluation identified 21 studies, conducted in 10 different countries. Altogether, their samples comprised 1,098 individuals, aged 0.16-12.6 years. The studies assessed the following cognitive domains: memory, nonverbal cognition, reasoning, attention, executive functions, language, perceptual-motor function, visuoconstructive ability, processing speed, and phonological processing/phonological memory. Children with hearing loss using cochlear implants and hearing aids scored significantly lower in many cognitive functions than normal hearing (NH) children. Neurocognitive functions were correlated with hearing and language outcomes.

Conclusion

Many cognitive tools were used to assess cognitive function in children with hearing devices. Results suggest that children with cochlear implants and hearing aids have cognitive deficits; these outcomes are mainly correlated with vocabulary. This study highlights the need to understand children's cognitive function and increase the knowledge of the relationship between cognition, language, and hearing in children using cochlear implants and hearing aids.

SUBMITTER: Lima JVDS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10582571 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Neurocognitive function in children with cochlear implants and hearing aids: a systematic review.

Lima Jefferson Vilela da Silva JVDS de Morais Caroline Favaretto Martins CFM Zamberlan-Amorim Nelma Ellen NE Mandrá Patricia Pupin PP Reis Ana Cláudia Mirândola Barbosa ACMB

Frontiers in neuroscience 20231004

<h4>Purpose</h4>To systematically review the existing literature that examines the relationship between cognition, hearing, and language in children using cochlear implants and hearing aids.<h4>Method</h4>The review has been registered in Prospero (Registration: CRD 42020203974). The review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and examined the scientific literature in VHL, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, and Embase. It included original observational ...[more]

PMID: 37859761

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Project description:ObjectivesBinaural pitch fusion is the perceptual integration of stimuli that evoke different pitches between the ears into a single auditory image. Adults who use hearing aids (HAs) or cochlear implants (CIs) often experience abnormally broad binaural pitch fusion, such that sounds differing in pitch by as much as 3 to 4 octaves are fused across ears, leading to spectral averaging and speech perception interference. The main goal of this study was to measure binaural pitch fusion in children with different hearing device combinations and compare results across groups and with adults. A second goal was to examine the relationship of binaural pitch fusion to interaural pitch differences or pitch match range, a measure of sequential pitch discriminability.DesignBinaural pitch fusion was measured in children between the ages of 6.1 and 11.1 years with bilateral HAs (n = 9), bimodal CI (n = 10), bilateral CIs (n = 17), as well as normal-hearing (NH) children (n = 21). Depending on device combination, stimuli were pure tones or electric pulse trains delivered to individual electrodes. Fusion ranges were measured using simultaneous, dichotic presentation of reference and comparison stimuli in opposite ears, and varying the comparison stimulus to find the range that fused with the reference stimulus. Interaural pitch match functions were measured using sequential presentation of reference and comparison stimuli, and varying the comparison stimulus to find the pitch match center and range.ResultsChildren with bilateral HAs had significantly broader binaural pitch fusion than children with NH, bimodal CI, or bilateral CIs. Children with NH and bilateral HAs, but not children with bimodal or bilateral CIs, had significantly broader fusion than adults with the same hearing status and device configuration. In children with bilateral CIs, fusion range was correlated with several variables that were also correlated with each other: pure-tone average in the second implanted ear before CI, and duration of prior bilateral HA, bimodal CI, or bilateral CI experience. No relationship was observed between fusion range and pitch match differences or range.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that binaural pitch fusion is still developing in this age range and depends on hearing device combination but not on interaural pitch differences or discriminability.

Project description:ImportanceChildren who receive a cochlear implant (CI) for early severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss may achieve age-appropriate spoken language skills not possible before implantation. Despite these advances, reduced access to auditory experience may have downstream effects on fundamental neurocognitive processes for some children with CIs.ObjectiveTo determine the relative risk (RR) of clinically significant executive functioning deficits in children with CIs compared with children with normal hearing (NH).Design, setting, and participantsIn this prospective, cross-sectional study, 73 children at a hospital-based clinic who received their CIs before 7 years of age and 78 children with NH, with average to above average mean nonverbal IQ scores, were recruited in 2 age groups: preschool age (age range, 3-5 years) and school age (age range, 7-17 years). No children presented with other developmental, cognitive, or neurologic diagnoses.InterventionsParent-reported checklist measures of executive functioning were completed during psychological testing sessions.Main outcomes and measuresEstimates of the RR of clinically significant deficits in executive functioning (≥1 SDs above the mean) for children with CIs compared with children with NH were obtained based on 2 parent-reported child behavior checklists of everyday problems with executive functioning.ResultsIn most domains of executive functioning, children with CIs were at 2 to 5 times greater risk of clinically significant deficits compared with children with NH. The RRs for preschoolers and school-aged children, respectively, were greatest in the areas of comprehension and conceptual learning (RR [95% CI], 3.56 [1.71-7.43] and 6.25 [2.64-14.77]), factual memory ( 4.88 [1.58-15.07] and 5.47 [2.03-14.77]), attention (3.38 [1.03-11.04] and 3.13 [1.56-6.26]), sequential processing (11.25 [1.55-81.54] and 2.44 [1.24-4.76]), working memory (4.13 [1.30-13.06] and 3.64 [1.61-8.25] for one checklist and 1.77 [0.82-3.83] and 2.78 [1.18-6.51] for another checklist), and novel problem-solving (3.93 [1.50-10.34] and 3.13 [1.46-6.67]). No difference between the CI and NH samples was found for visual-spatial organization (2.63 [0.76-9.03] and 1.04 [0.45-2.40] on one checklist and 2.86 [0.98-8.39] for school-aged children on the other checklist).Conclusions and relevanceA large proportion of children with CIs are at risk for clinically significant deficits across multiple domains of executive functioning, a rate averaging 2 to 5 times that of children with NH for most domains. Screening for risk of executive functioning deficits should be a routine part of the clinical evaluation of all children with deafness and CIs.

Project description:PurposeThe breadth of binaural pitch fusion, the integration of sounds differing in frequency across the two ears, can limit the ability to segregate and understand speech in background noise. Binaural pitch fusion is one type of central auditory processing that may still be developing in the pre-adolescent age range. In addition, children with hearing loss potentially have different trajectories of development of central auditory processing compared to their normal-hearing (NH) peers, due to disruption of auditory input and/or abnormal stimulation from hearing devices. The goal of this study was to measure and compare binaural pitch fusion changes during development in children with NH versus hearing loss and different hearing device combinations. Interaural pitch discrimination abilities were also measured to control for pitch discrimination as a potential limiting factor for fusion that may also change during development.MethodsBaseline measurements of binaural pitch fusion and interaural pitch discrimination were conducted in a total of 62 (22 female) children with NH (n = 25), bilateral hearing aids (HA; n = 10, bimodal cochlear implants (CI; n = 9), and bilateral CIs (n = 18), with longitudinal follow-up for a subset of participants (18 NH, 9 HA, 8 bimodal CI, and 15 bilateral CI). Age at the start of testing ranged from 6 to 10 years old, with a goal of repeated measurements over 3-6 years. Binaural pitch fusion ranges were measured as the range of acoustic frequencies (electrodes) presented to one ear that was perceptually fused with a single reference frequency (electrode) presented simultaneously to the other ear. Similarly, interaural pitch discrimination was measured as the range of frequencies (electrodes) that could not be consistently ranked in pitch compared to a single reference frequency (electrode) under sequential presentation to opposite ears.ResultsChildren with NH and HAs initially had broad binaural pitch fusion ranges compared to adults. With increasing age, the binaural fusion range narrowed by 1-3 octaves for children with NH, bilateral HAs, and bimodal CIs, but not for children with bilateral CIs. Interaural pitch discrimination showed no changes with age, though differences in discrimination ability were seen across groups.ConclusionBinaural fusion sharpens significantly on the scale of octaves in the age range from 6 to 14 years. The lack of change in interaural pitch discrimination with increasing age rules out discrimination changes as an explanation for the binaural fusion range changes. The differences in the trajectory of binaural fusion changes across groups indicate the importance of hearing device combination for the development of binaural processing abilities in children with hearing loss, with implications for addressing challenges with speech perception in noise. Together, the results suggest that pruning of binaural connections is still occurring and likely guided by hearing experience during childhood development.

Project description:This article reports on the psychosocial development and factors influencing outcomes of 5-year-old children with cochlear implants (CIs) or hearing aids (HAs). It further examines differences between children with CIs and HAs with similar levels of hearing loss. Data were collected as part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment study-a prospective, population-based study. Parents/caregivers of children completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ( n = 333), the Social Skills subscale from the Child Development Inventory ( n = 317), and questionnaires on functional auditory behavior (Parents' Evaluation of Aural/oral performance of Children), and demographics. Children completed assessments of nonverbal cognitive ability (Wechsler Non-verbal Scale of Ability) and language (Preschool Language Scale - fourth edition). On average, parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores on emotional or behavioral difficulties were within 1 SD of the normative mean; however, Child Development Inventory scores on social skills were more than 1 SD below the norm. Children with severe-to-profound hearing losses using HAs had significantly more behavioral problems than children with CIs. Regression analyses showed that non-verbal cognitive ability, language, and functional auditory behavior were significantly associated with psychosocial outcomes for children with HAs, whereas outcomes for children with CIs were associated with functional auditory behavior and the presence of additional disabilities. Age at hearing intervention, severity of hearing loss, and communication mode were not associated with outcomes. The results suggest that even children who develop good language ability with the help of a HA or CI may have psychosocial problems if they exhibit difficulties with listening and communicating in everyday environments. The findings have implications for developing interventions for young children with hearing loss.

Project description:ObjectivesEarly hearing aid (HA) fitting and cochlear implants (CIs) aim to reduce the effects of hearing loss (HL) on spoken language development. The goals of this study were (1) to examine spoken language skills of children with bilateral HAs and children with bilateral CIs; (2) to compare their language skills to the age-norms of peers with normal hearing (NH); and (3) to investigate factors associated with spoken language outcomes.DesignSpoken language results of 56 Finnish children with HL were obtained from a nationwide prospective multicenter study. Children with HL comprised two groups: children with mild-to-severe HL who used bilateral HAs (BiHA group, n = 28) and children with profound HL who used bilateral CIs (BiCI group, n = 28). Children's spoken language comprehension, expressive and receptive vocabulary, and phonological skills were compared with normative values of children with NH at the age of three years. Odds ratio (OR) was calculated to compare proportions of children below age-norms in BiHA and BiCI groups. Factors associated with spoken language outcomes were modeled with analysis of covariance.ResultsAt the age of 3 years, 50%-96% of children with HL performed 1 SD or more below the mean of the normative sample of age-peers with NH in spoken language skills, depending on the language domain. Receptive vocabulary and phonological skills were the most vulnerable language domains. In receptive vocabulary, 82% of the children in the BiHA group and 50% of the children in the BiCI group scored 1 SD or more below the normative mean. The BiHA group was 4.4 times more likely to have poorer receptive vocabulary than the BiCI group. In phonological skills, 96% of children in the BiHA group and 60% of the children in the BiCI group scored 1 SD or more below the normative mean. The BiHA group was 18.0 times more likely to have poorer phonological skills than the BiCI group. The analysis of covariance models showed that unaided pure-tone average, PTA0.5-4 kHz, had a significant effect on spoken language comprehension in the BiHA group. For the BiCI group, age at HL diagnosis and age at CI activation had a significant effect on expressive vocabulary. High maternal level of education had a significant effect on language comprehension and expressive vocabulary and female gender on phonological skills.ConclusionsAt the age of 3 years, especially receptive vocabulary and phonological skills caused difficulties for children with HL showing also considerable individual variation. Children with bilateral HAs seemed to be more likely to have poorer receptive vocabulary and phonological skills than children with bilateral CIs. A variety of factors was associated with outcomes in both groups. Close monitoring of spoken language skills of children with HL is important for ensuring similar opportunities for all children with HL and timely intervention, when needed.

Project description:RationaleDementia currently affects 50 million people globally with this expected to triple by 2050. Even though hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Considering hearing loss is the largest modifiable risk factor for developing dementia, it is essential to study the effect of hearing aids on cognitive function.ObjectiveTo systematically review the existing literature to examine the evidence for using hearing aids intervention as a treatment for deteriorating cognitive function.DesignA search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and grey literature was conducted revealing 3060 unique records between 1990-2020. Two reviewers independently selected longitudinal studies observing the effects of hearing aids on cognitive function in persons without dementia at onset of the study. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Outcomes are described in a summary of findings table and portrayed diagrammatically.ResultsWe identified 17 unique studies, spanning 30 years of research and 3526 participants. The included studies made use of 50 different cognitive function tests. These tests were grouped into separate cognitive domains according to the DSM-V classification for further analysis. The most beneficial impact of hearing aids seems to be in the cognitive domain of executive function, with six studies showing improvement, two studies being inconclusive and three studies not demonstrating a significant effect. Three of five studies demonstrated significant improvement when screening for brief mental status. The least beneficial impact is seen in domain of complex attention, with eight studies showing no significant effects, compared with one demonstrating improvement with intervention.ConclusionsBased on this systematic review, we conclude that there is controversy about the effects of hearing aids on cognition. Additional research through randomized clinical trials with standardized cognitive assessment and longer follow-up is warranted to further elucidate this relationship.

Dataset Information

Neurocognitive function in children with cochlear implants and hearing aids: a systematic review.

Purpose

Method

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Neurocognitive function in children with cochlear implants and hearing aids: a systematic review.

Similar Datasets

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