Cognition and hearing aids (Kestens et al., 2021)

<b>Purpose: </b>Hearing aids are the primary rehabilitation devices used to compensate for presbyacusis, though large intersubject variability in hearing aid benefit has been reported. This systematic review aimed to investigate how intersubject differences in cognition could influence the aided benefit for speech understanding and listening effort with bilateral digital hearing aids.<b>Method: </b>Articles were selected through systematic searches in MEDLINE, Embase, Central, and reference lists. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed.<b>Results: </b>The initial search resulted in 1,092 unique hits, of which 16 were included. The effect of cognition on the aided benefit in terms of speech understanding and listening effort was examined in 12 and four studies, respectively. The aided speech and listening effort benefit obtained from hearing aid use in general or from a specific digital feature (i.e., microphone directionality, noise reduction, amplitude compression, and frequency compression) was associated with four cognitive functions (i.e., working memory, processing speed, selective attention, and executive functions).<b>Conclusions: </b>Hearing aid users with poorer cognitive functioning derived more aided benefit in terms of speech understanding from hearing aid settings facilitating the matching process between the incoming auditory signal and representations stored in long-term memory. However, since the number of included studies was limited, this trend should be interpreted with caution.<br><b>Supplemental Material S1. </b>The inclusion and exclusion criteria based on the Population, Intervention, Control, Outcomes, and Study Design (PICOS) strategy.<br><b>Supplemental Material S2. </b>The translated English quality assessment. <br><b>Supplemental Material S3. </b>The results of the statistical analyses. <br><b>Supplemental Material S4. </b>The first investigator’s total score and overall methodological rating of all included studies. <br>Kestens, K., Degeest, S., &amp; Keppler, H. (2021). The effect of cognition on the aided benefit in terms of speech understanding and listening effort obtained with digital hearing aids: A systematic review. <i>American Journal of Audiology. </i>https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJA-20-00019

研究目的：助听器是补偿老年性耳聋（presbyacusis）的主要康复器械，但已有研究报道助听器获益存在显著的个体间差异。本系统综述旨在探讨认知功能的个体间差异如何影响双侧数字助听器（bilateral digital hearing aids）使用者的言语理解获益与聆听努力。
研究方法：通过在MEDLINE、Embase、Central及参考文献列表中开展系统检索以筛选文献，并严格遵循系统综述与元分析首选报告条目（Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses，PRISMA）指南完成研究。
研究结果：初步检索共获得1092篇独立文献，最终纳入16篇。其中12项研究考察了认知功能对言语理解助听获益的影响，4项研究则聚焦其对聆听努力的影响。研究分别评估了常规助听器使用或特定数字助听功能（即麦克风方向性、降噪、幅度压缩与频率压缩）带来的言语理解与聆听努力助听获益，发现该获益与四项认知功能显著相关：工作记忆、加工速度、选择性注意及执行功能。
结论：认知功能较差的助听器使用者，在使用适配传入听觉信号与长时记忆存储表征匹配过程的助听设备时，可在言语理解层面获得更多助听获益。但由于纳入研究数量有限，对该趋势的解读需保持谨慎。

补充材料S1：基于人群、干预、对照、结局及研究设计（Population, Intervention, Control, Outcomes, and Study Design, PICOS）策略制定的纳入与排除标准。
补充材料S2：经翻译的英文质量评估报告。
补充材料S3：统计学分析结果。
补充材料S4：第一研究者对所有纳入研究的总评分及整体方法学评级。

Kestens, K., Degeest, S., & Keppler, H. (2021). 认知对数字助听器助益的影响：基于言语理解与聆听努力的系统综述. 《美国听力学杂志》（American Journal of Audiology）. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_AJA-20-00019