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Auditory function in Alzheimer's disease
Kurylo DD, Corkin S, Allard T, Zatorre RJ, Growdon JH.. Neurology, 1993-10-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The pattern of cerebral degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients suggests that basic auditory capacities should be normal in AD, whereas progressively higher levels of auditory function should be increasingly impaired. To test this hypothesis, we administered tests of auditory capacities associated with primary auditory cortex (sound localization and perception of complex tones) and auditory association cortex (phoneme discrimination, timbre discrimination, and tonal memory) to 19 mildly to moderately demented AD patients, 21 elderly control subjects (ECS), and 14 young control subjects (YCS). The results showed significant differences between YCS and ECS on phoneme discrimination with synthetic speech and on tonal memory. The AD group differed from the ECS group on sound localization, one measure of synthetic speech discrimination, and timbre discrimination. Performance did not correlate with age, dementia severity, or duration of illness on any test condition. These findings indicate that although AD is accompanied by specific auditory deficits, the increase in neuropathologic change between primary auditory and auditory association cortices is not reflected in an increased impairment of functions that are mediated by these areas. Degraded aural language comprehension, which is characteristic of AD, likely reflects disruption of language processes, rather than dysfunction specific to auditory circuits.
Key findings
- The pattern of cerebral degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients suggests that basic auditory capacities should be normal in AD, whereas progressively higher levels of auditory function should be increasingly impaired.
- To test this hypothesis, we administered tests of auditory capacities associated with primary auditory cortex (sound localization and perception of complex tones) and auditory association cortex (phoneme discrimination, timbre discrimination, and tonal memory) to 19 mildly to moderately demented AD patients, 21 elderly control subjects (ECS), and 14 young control subjects (YCS).
- The results showed significant differences between YCS and ECS on phoneme discrimination with synthetic speech and on tonal memory.
- These findings indicate that although AD is accompanied by specific auditory deficits, the increase in neuropathologic change between primary auditory and auditory association cortices is not reflected in an increased impairment of functions that are mediated by these areas.
Why it matters
This study found that people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease had specific hearing-related deficits compared with healthy elderly controls, but these deficits did not relate to age, dementia severity, or how long they had been ill. It is a small study of 19 patients and does not test any treatment, so it does not show how to cure or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1993 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 75 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.1 citations a year over 35 year(s) since 1993 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author John H. Growdon: h-index 101 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology: institution h-index 2,557 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 8413944) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Kurylo, D. D., Corkin, S., Allard, T., Zatorre, R. J., & Growdon, J. H. (1993). Auditory function in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.43.10.1893
Vancouver
Kurylo DD, Corkin S, Allard T, Zatorre RJ, Growdon JH. Auditory function in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. 1993. doi:10.1212/wnl.43.10.1893. PMID: 8413944.
BibTeX
@article{kurylo1993-8413944,
author = {Kurylo, D. D. and Corkin, S. and Allard, T. and Zatorre, R. J. and Growdon, J. H.},
title = {{Auditory function in Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {1993},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.43.10.1893},
pmid = {8413944},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.43.10.1893}
}
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