Gray Structure of Cognitive Impairment in Age-related hearing loss Based on Structural Covariance Causal Networks

Motivation: To learn more about the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in Age-related hearing loss（ARHL） patients Goal(s): To investigate the atrophy pattern of gray matter in ARHL patients, and explore the interaction between brain structural changes, hearing loss, and cognitive impairment. Approach: Structural covariance analysis and granger causality analysis in 70 ARHL patients and 64 healthy controls were assessed. Results: In ARHL patients, there exists a correlation between hearing and cognition with regards to brain structural damage, and the left insula and right hippocampus play significant roles in the progression of brain damage among ARHL patients. Impact: The insula and hippocampus play a key role in the process of ARHL brain damage and provide evidence for sensory deprivation theory and indicates that brain structural reorganization is involved in the process of hearing loss and cognitive impairment.