New paper out by Nick Sommerhalder et al.: Decay of central nervous mechanisms contribute to impaired speech recognition in older adults with chronic subjective tinnitus.
Many people with chronic tinnitus, particularly older adults, complain about difficulties understanding speech in everyday situations. Extensive investigations of peripheral auditory function have so far provided no viable explanation for this phenomenon. In a study by our group, we were able to show that impairments in certain cognitive abilities can explain the reduced speech comprehension in young and middle-aged individuals with tinnitus. In this new study, Nick Sommerhalder and colleagues successfully replicate these findings in an older cohort of tinnitus patients. This brings us substantially closer to understanding the relationship between tinnitus and speech comprehension deficits.
Sommerhalder N, Bureš Z, Profant O, Kleinjung T, Neff P, Meyer M. Association of Tinnitus With Speech Recognition and Executive Functions in Older Adults. Trends Hear. 2025 Jan-Dec;29:23312165251389585. doi: 10.1177/23312165251389585. Epub 2025 Nov 13. PMID: 41232079; PMCID: PMC12615926.