Hormones and Hearing: Central Auditory Processing in Women

Trott, Skylar; Cline, Trey; Weihing, Jeffrey; Beshear, Deidra; Bush, Matthew L.; Shinn, Jennifer B.

doi:10.3766/jaaa.17123

Cited by 8 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Although some studies have shown that ovarian hormones, including estrogen, may have a negative effect on the cochlear nerve, 35 most studies have reported that estrogen exerts a protective effect on hearing. 36 , 37 Previous studies have also demonstrated the expression of estrogen in the inner ear. 10 Moreover, estrogen can be produced by auditory neurons per se and directly affects neurotransmission.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hearing Status of Low-Income, Middle-Aged and Elderly Women in Northern China: A Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study

Liu

Dong

et al. 2021

JMDH

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Objective Hearing impairment (HI) has become one of the most common causes of disability worldwide. To date, few studies have examined the hearing of women in these frequently rural regions. Thus, we explored the HI prevalence and risk factors among low-income, middle-aged, and elderly women in Tianjin, China. Methods Between October and November 2013, female residents aged ≥45 years of rural Tianjin, China were recruited into the study. The participants completed questionnaire surveys, physical examinations, and hearing tests. The hearing at frequencies of 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz was used to analyze the hearing characteristics of specific frequency bands, and HI was defined as the better ear pure tone averages (PTA) >25 dB HL. Results Among the 1416 participants, the prevalence of HI was 46.0%. Among those aged 45–54-years, most (65.3%) demonstrated normal hearing; in other age groups, slight HI accounted for the largest proportions of individuals. Compared with women who did not drink, the odds ratio (OR) of HI among women who consumed alcohol was 4.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.844–9.574; P = 0.001). Compared with pre-menopausal women, the OR of HI among postmenopausal women was 1.8 (95% CI: 1.261–2.667; P = 0.001). Further, each 1-year increase in age in women resulted in a 7.1% increase in HI risk (P < 0.001). Conclusion The burden of HI among women is heavy in rural northern China, especially among those who experienced menopause. Additionally, the results suggest that to further reduce the risk of developing HI, women in rural areas should stop consuming alcohol. The problem of HI among women in rural areas should be taken seriously; moreover, the measures implemented to prevent HI in high-risk women should be strengthened.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High blood pressure may harm hearing due to pressure-induced microvascular atherosclerosis, which affects the auditory blood flow and causes hearing loss. 36 Long-term follow-up studies are required to validate this relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing Status of Low-Income, Middle-Aged and Elderly Women in Northern China: A Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study

Liu

Dong

et al. 2021

JMDH

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“…Similarly, Curhan et al (2017) observed that females who enter menopause at age 50 and older have a higher risk of self-reported hearing loss. Interestingly, a recent study showed that the decrease in estrogen following menopause is associated with difficulties in spatial hearing abilities as measured by the Listening in Spatialized Noise Test-Sentences (Trott et al 2019), supporting the importance of estrogen in central auditory processing. This is consistent with our results showing that inhibitory control is more significantly associated with SiN and spatial hearing abilities in aging females than in aging males.…”

Section: Ssq Scales Sinmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…In particular, a growing body of research shows that hormonal differences such as estrogen may contribute to sex differences in hearing [for a review, see, for example, Shuster et al (2019)] and is important for the prevention of age-related hearing loss (e.g., Simonoska et al 2009). The decrease in the level of estrogen following menopause has been associated with the onset of hearing loss (Kim et al 2002) and with deficits in spatial hearing abilities (Trott et al 2019). These findings highlight the importance of investigating the role of biological sex on the association between hearing loss and cognitive impairment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Objective and Subjective Hearing Difficulties Are Associated With Lower Inhibitory Control

2022

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Objective: Evidence suggests that hearing loss increases the risk of cognitive impairment. However, the relationship between hearing loss and cognition can vary considerably across studies, which may be partially explained by demographic and health factors that are not systematically accounted for in statistical models.Design: Middle-aged to older adult participants (N = 149) completed a web-based assessment that included speech-in-noise (SiN) and self-report measures of hearing, as well as auditory and visual cognitive interference (Stroop) tasks. Correlations between hearing and cognitive interference measures were performed with and without controlling for age, sex, education, depression, anxiety, and selfrated health. Results:The risk of having objective SiN difficulties differed between males and females. All demographic and health variables, except education, influenced the likelihood of reporting hearing difficulties. Small but significant relationships between objective and reported hearing difficulties and the measures of cognitive interference were observed when analyses were controlled for demographic and health factors. Furthermore, when stratifying analyses for males and females, different relationships between hearing and cognitive interference measures were found. Self-reported difficulty with spatial hearing and objective SiN performance were better predictors of inhibitory control in females, whereas self-reported difficulty with speech was a better predictor of inhibitory control in males. This suggests that inhibitory control is associated with different listening abilities in males and females. Conclusions:The results highlight the importance of controlling for participant characteristics when assessing the relationship between hearing and cognitive interference, which may also be the case for other cognitive functions, but this requires further investigations. Furthermore, this study is the first to show that the relationship between hearing and cognitive interference can be captured using web-based tasks that are simple to implement and administer at home without any assistance, paving the way for future online screening tests assessing the effects of hearing loss on cognition.

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“…Five studies investigated auditory changes in post-menopausal women, with the sample size ranging from 22 to 190 participants (Tandon et al, 2001;Hederstierna et al, 2010;Svedbrant et al, 2015;Trott et al, 2019;Arora et al, 2021). One study tested participants three times (i.e., at 2, 7, and 10 years after the start of menopause) (Svedbrant et al, 2015).…”

Section: Auditory Changes In Post-menopausal Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences and the effect of female sex hormones on auditory function: a systematic review

Aloufi

Heinrich

Marshall

et al. 2023

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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AimsFirst, to discuss sex differences in auditory function between women and men, and whether cyclic fluctuations in levels of female sex hormones (i.e., estradiol and progesterone) affect auditory function in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. Second, to systematically review the literature concerning the discussed patterns in order to give an overview of the methodologies used in research. Last, to identify the gap in knowledge and to make recommendations for future work.Methods for the systematic reviewPopulation, Exposure, Control, Outcome and Study design (PECOS) criteria were used in developing the review questions. The review protocol follows the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and was pre-registered in the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42020201480). Data Sources: EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO, ComDisDome, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) via Cochrane Library, and scanning reference lists of relevant studies, and internet resources (i.e., Mendeley) were used. Only studies published between 1999 and 2022, in English, or in English translation, were included. The quality of evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS).ResultsSex differences: Women had more sensitive hearing (measured at the level of peripheral and central auditory system) than men. Cyclic fluctuations: Auditory function in women fluctuated during the menstrual cycle, while no such fluctuations in men over the same time period were reported. Hearing sensitivity improved in women during the late follicular phase, and decrease during the luteal phase, implying an effect of female sex hormones, although the specific effects of estradiol and progesterone fluctuations on the central auditory system remain unclear. Hearing sensitivity in women declined rapidly at the onset of menopause.ConclusionThe review has shown the following. Consistent sex differences exist in auditory function across the auditory pathway with pre-menopausal women often showing better function than age-matched men. Moreover, pre-menopausal women show fluctuations in hearing function across the menstrual cycle with a better function during the peak of estradiol or when the ratio of estradiol to progesterone is high. Third, menopause marks the onset of hearing loss in women, characterized by a rapid decline in hearing sensitivity and a more pronounced loss than in age-matched men. Finally, the systematic review highlights the need for well-designed and -controlled studies to evaluate the influence of estradiol and progesterone on hearing by consistently including control groups (e.g., age-matched man), using objective tests to measure hormonal levels (e.g., in saliva or blood), and by testing participants at different points across the menstrual cycle.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020201480, identifier CRD42020201480.

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Hormones and Hearing: Central Auditory Processing in Women

Cited by 8 publications

References 31 publications

Hearing Status of Low-Income, Middle-Aged and Elderly Women in Northern China: A Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study

Hearing Status of Low-Income, Middle-Aged and Elderly Women in Northern China: A Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Study

Objective and Subjective Hearing Difficulties Are Associated With Lower Inhibitory Control

Sex differences and the effect of female sex hormones on auditory function: a systematic review

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