In this project, Dr Fabiola Paciello at the Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy, researches whether hearing loss and dementia share similar causes, and how hearing loss can impact on the cognitive activities of the brain.
Project start date: September 2024
Project end date: September 2027
About the project
People with age-related hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia than people without, and the likelihood increases if their hearing loss is more severe. Despite this, we still don’t fully understand the connection between hearing loss and dementia.
The aim of this project is to understand whether hearing loss and dementia share disease-causing mechanisms and how hearing loss impacts on and changes cognitive activity in the brain.
How it works
The researchers will study a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease and compare it to healthy mice as the two groups age. They will analyse the inner ear and brains of these mice to look for any damage to the auditory system caused by Alzheimer’s disease or by advancing age.
Then, they will assess any changes in the brain that involve hearing and cognition in these mice, to see if there is a link between hearing loss and dementia susceptibility. Finally, they will investigate how brain structures involved in hearing and cognition can talk to and influence each other.
How will this project benefit people at risk of hearing loss or cognitive decline?
This project will identify shared processes between hearing loss and dementia. This research will shed light on the cause-effect relationship between hearing loss and cognitive decline and help to identify potential treatments for both conditions.
About the researcher
Dr Fabiola Paciello is an Assistant Professor of Physiology at the Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Italy. This RNID Discovery Research Grant is co-funding with Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Our results could pave the way towards clinical studies to find people who are predisposed to developing dementia and to plan hearing and cognitive rehabilitation strategies for them. This will lead to more effective health solutions and disease prevention which will have a relevant impact on public health.”
