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Central auditory dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia in older people
Gates GA, Cobb JL, Linn RT, Rees T, Wolf PA, D'Agostino RB.. Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery, 1996-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To determine in older people the relation between auditory dysfunction and cognitive dysfunction, and if central auditory test abnormalities predict the onset of clinical dementia or cognitive decline. Design Prospective population-based cohort study. Setting Framingham Heart Study outpatient biennial examinations 18 and 21. Participants Members of the Framingham Heart Study cohort with normal findings from cognitive screening tests at biennial examination 18. Measurements Peripheral audiometric thresholds and word recognition in quiet; Synthetic Sentence Identification with Ipsilateral Competing Message (SSI-ICM); Mini-Mental State Examination; and detailed neuropsychological testing of subjects with abnormal findings from the Mini-Mental State Examination. Relative risk of dementia was determined using age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results Hearing loss significantly lowered performance on the verbal parts of the Mini-Mental State Examination. The relative risk of subsequent clinical dementia or cognitive decline was 6 in subjects with very poor scores ( Conclusions Central auditory dysfunction precedes senile dementia in a significant number of cases and may be an early marker for senile dementia. Hearing tests should be included in the evaluation of persons older than 60 years and in those suspected of having cognitive dysfunction.
Key findings
- Results Hearing loss significantly lowered performance on the verbal parts of the Mini-Mental State Examination.
- The relative risk of subsequent clinical dementia or cognitive decline was 6 in subjects with very poor scores ( Conclusions Central auditory dysfunction precedes senile dementia in a significant number of cases and may be an early marker for senile dementia.
Why it matters
In this cohort study, central auditory dysfunction was found to precede dementia in a significant number of cases and the authors suggest it may be an early marker for dementia. The study is observational, so it does not show that treating hearing problems prevents or delays dementia.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery: journal h-index 204 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 1996 — 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 195 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.1 citations a year over 32 year(s) since 1996 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 11 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 24 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Ralph B. D’Agostino: h-index 237 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 8630210) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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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
Gates, G. A., Cobb, J. L., Linn, R. T., Rees, T., Wolf, P. A., & D'Agostino, R. B. (1996). Central auditory dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia in older people. Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery. https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140047010
Vancouver
Gates GA, Cobb JL, Linn RT, Rees T, Wolf PA, D'Agostino RB. Central auditory dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia in older people. Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery. 1996. doi:10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140047010. PMID: 8630210.
BibTeX
@article{gates1996-8630210,
author = {Gates, G. A. and Cobb, J. L. and Linn, R. T. and Rees, T. and Wolf, P. A. and D'Agostino, R. B.},
title = {{Central auditory dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia in older people}},
journal = {Archives of otolaryngology--head \& neck surgery},
year = {1996},
doi = {10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140047010},
pmid = {8630210},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archotol.1996.01890140047010}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
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11 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references. Showing the 8 highest-scoring.