We found consistent evidence that auditory nerve function worsens with age, but the impact of noise exposure was less clear and seemed to depend on the specifics of each study.
Changes in the Brain with Age and Hearing Loss
A better understanding of how our brains process patterns with aging and hearing loss, and when neural responses are exaggerated versus diminished, can aid in developing treatments and devices to improve age- and hearing loss-related hearing difficulties.
A Method to Measure Neuroplasticity Found to Be Unreliable
We found that tetanization does not produce reliable changes in brain activity. Some studies report increased brain activity, some report decreased brain activity, and still others report no changes in brain activity following tetanization.