Low-frequency hearing thresholds predict cognitive performance

Abstract Hearing loss is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cognitive decline. However, the associations between subtle variations in hearing acuity and cognitive performance are underexplored. The present study investigated the relationship between standard clinical audiometric thresholds and cognition in younger and older adults with clinically normal hearing. Ninety-nine participants completed a battery of tests, including working memory (forward and backward digit span, operation span, reading span) and attentional control (Eriksen Flanker). Audiometric thresholds were reduced using principal component analysis into low-frequency (LF; ≤ 1000 Hz) and high-frequency (HF; ≥ 2000 Hz) components. While older adults exhibited poorer cognitive performance and hearing thresholds than younger adults, regression analyses revealed that LF thresholds significantly predicted both working memory and attention, after controlling for age. In contrast, HF thresholds were not independently associated with cognitive outcomes after accounting for age-related variance. The results highlight a frequency-specific relationship between hearing and cognition and suggest that low-frequency auditory sensitivity may serve as an early marker of neurocognitive vulnerability. These findings underscore the importance of considering frequency-specific auditory measures in the assessment of sensory-cognitive interactions.