Study of the neural plasticity in adults and older adults new hearing aid users

ABSTRACT Purpose: to monitor, with long-latency auditory evoked potentials, the plasticity of the central auditory pathways in adults and older adults, new users of hearing aids. Methods: a total of 15 adults and older adults, aged 55 to 85 years, participated in the research. They had a symmetric bilateral mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, without previous experience with any type of hearing aid. The long-latency auditory evoked potentials were conducted with and without amplification, at 60 and 75 dBnHL, with speech stimulus in a sound field, in two assessment moments: up to one week after fitting the hearing aid and after six months of its use. The Student’s t-test was used for statistical analysis, considering significant the p-value < 0.05. Results: responses with lower latency values were observed for the right ear in the second assessment. Comparing the first with the second assessment, both with and without the hearing aid, an increase in the amplitude of P2-N2 was observed, as well as an increase in the latency of the P2 component at the intensity of 75 dBnHL. No statistically significant differences were observed at the intensity of 60 dBnHL. Conclusion:the use of the hearing aid promoted the plasticity of the central auditory pathways, increasing the number of neurons responsive to the sound stimuli.