Interconnected declines in audition vision and cognition in healthy aging.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

Cognition*/physiology ; Healthy Aging*/physiology ; Healthy Aging*/psychology ; Auditory Perception*/physiology; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Visual Perception/physiology ; Vision, Ocular/physiology ; Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging/physiology ; Hearing/physiology

Age-related sensory declines are unavoidable and closely linked to decreased visual, auditory, and cognitive functions. However, the interrelations of these declines remain poorly understood. Despite extensive studies in each domain, shared age-related characteristics are complex and may not consistently manifest direct relationships at the individual level. We investigated the link between visual and auditory perceptual declines in healthy aging and their relation to cognitive function using six psychophysical and three cognitive tasks. Eighty young and older healthy adults participated, revealing a general age-related decline. Young adults consistently outperformed older adults in all tasks. Critically, the performance in visual tasks significantly correlated with performance in auditory tasks in older adults. This suggests a domain-general decline in perception, where declines in vision are related to declines in audition within individuals. Additionally, perceptual performance in older adults decreased monotonically year by year. Working memory performance significantly correlated with perceptual performance across both age groups and modalities, further supporting the hypothesis of a domain-general decline. These findings highlight the complex and interconnected nature of sensory and cognitive declines in aging, providing a foundation for future translational research focused on enhancing cognitive and perceptual abilities to promote healthy aging and ultimately improve the quality of life for older adults.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cortex. 2022 Jun;151:133-146. (PMID: 35405539)
Percept Psychophys. 1999 Jul;61(5):837-59. (PMID: 10498999)
Gerontology. 2010;56(6):553-63. (PMID: 20110660)
Front Aging Neurosci. 2016 Mar 01;8:39. (PMID: 26973514)
Neuropsychology. 1997 Jan;11(1):3-12. (PMID: 9055265)
Clin Neurophysiol. 2010 Jun;121(6):902-11. (PMID: 20359943)
Vision Res. 2011 Jul 1;51(13):1610-22. (PMID: 20974168)
Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2015 Aug;30(5):359-68. (PMID: 26025230)
Behav Brain Res. 2018 Dec 14;355:48-55. (PMID: 29432793)
Front Aging Neurosci. 2017 Mar 02;9:45. (PMID: 28303102)
Front Neurosci. 2019 Jul 19;13:749. (PMID: 31379494)
J Intern Med. 2021 Jun;289(6):807-830. (PMID: 33314384)
Hear Res. 2010 Jun 1;264(1-2):48-55. (PMID: 19944140)
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016 Feb;64(2):306-313. (PMID: 26889840)
PLoS One. 2018 Aug 27;13(8):e0202969. (PMID: 30148857)
Vision Res. 1983;23(7):689-99. (PMID: 6613011)
Gerontology. 2001 Sep-Oct;47(5):289-93. (PMID: 11490149)
J Acoust Soc Am. 2006 Apr;119(4):2455-66. (PMID: 16642858)
Nat Hum Behav. 2022 Jan;6(1):97-110. (PMID: 34413509)
Can J Exp Psychol. 2002 Sep;56(3):164-76. (PMID: 12271747)
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2018 May 9;:. (PMID: 29741265)
Ear Hear. 2016 Jul-Aug;37 Suppl 1:52S-61S. (PMID: 27355770)
Psychol Aging. 2014 Mar;29(1):150-62. (PMID: 24660803)
J Vis. 2019 Apr 1;19(4):3. (PMID: 30943529)
Am J Audiol. 2012 Dec;21(2):344-50. (PMID: 23233520)
Neurology. 1990 Nov;40(11):1710-4. (PMID: 2234426)
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2014 Jul;20(6):599-610. (PMID: 24959983)
Clin Geriatr Med. 2010 Nov;26(4):569-81. (PMID: 20934611)
J Vis. 2017 Jan 1;17(1):31. (PMID: 28129415)
Psychol Aging. 2003 Jun;18(2):285-305. (PMID: 12825777)
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Oct 6;77(10):2133-2140. (PMID: 35089306)
PLoS One. 2022 Feb 23;17(2):e0264282. (PMID: 35196339)
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2014 Jul;20(6):620-9. (PMID: 24960301)
Brain Res. 2008 Jun 18;1215:53-68. (PMID: 18482717)
Nat Aging. 2021 May;1(5):422-429. (PMID: 37118018)
J Acoust Soc Am. 1999 Jul;106(1):371-80. (PMID: 10420628)
Trends Amplif. 2006 Mar;10(1):29-59. (PMID: 16528429)
Vision Res. 2004 May;44(10):1047-63. (PMID: 15031099)
J Am Acad Audiol. 2018 Jan;29(1):5-14. (PMID: 29309019)
Neurobiol Aging. 2019 Nov;83:73-85. (PMID: 31585369)
Neurology. 2013 Mar 12;80(11 Suppl 3):S54-64. (PMID: 23479546)
J Acoust Soc Am. 1994 Feb;95(2):980-91. (PMID: 8132912)
J Physiol Anthropol. 2018 Apr 23;37(1):11. (PMID: 29685171)
Vision Res. 2017 Dec;141:4-15. (PMID: 29129731)
J Vis. 2015;15(10):11. (PMID: 26426818)
Int J Audiol. 2019 May;58(5):247-261. (PMID: 30714435)
Front Psychol. 2016 Feb 03;6:2066. (PMID: 26869944)
Hear Res. 2021 Mar 15;402:108054. (PMID: 32826108)
Vision Res. 2010 Apr 21;50(9):860-9. (PMID: 20156473)
Lang Linguist Compass. 2016 Jul;10(7):314-334. (PMID: 28210287)
Vision Res. 2014 Aug;101:118-24. (PMID: 24959653)
Nat Aging. 2024 Jan;4(1):1-4. (PMID: 38177328)
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2010 Sep;16(5):754-60. (PMID: 20673381)
Vision Res. 2018 Nov;152:61-73. (PMID: 29154795)
J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Apr;53(4):695-9. (PMID: 15817019)
Atten Percept Psychophys. 2013 Apr;75(3):508-24. (PMID: 23254452)
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2012 May;3(3):403-410. (PMID: 22919436)
Psychol Rev. 1996 Jul;103(3):403-28. (PMID: 8759042)
Front Syst Neurosci. 2013 Jul 13;7:31. (PMID: 23874273)
Psychol Aging. 1997 Mar;12(1):12-21. (PMID: 9100264)
Cognition. 2022 May;222:105018. (PMID: 35032867)
Exp Aging Res. 1989 Spring-Summer;15(1-2):43-7. (PMID: 2583215)
Front Neurosci. 2018 Mar 05;12:125. (PMID: 29556173)
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2021 Feb 17;64(2):359-370. (PMID: 33439747)
Psychophysiology. 2013 Nov;50(11):1133-46. (PMID: 24015992)
Cortex. 2020 Aug;129:266-280. (PMID: 32535378)
J Vis. 2014 Jul 07;14(8):8. (PMID: 25002412)
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2007 Apr;50(2):283-303. (PMID: 17463230)
Front Psychol. 2022 May 18;13:832100. (PMID: 35664209)
Front Aging Neurosci. 2015 Jan 13;6:347. (PMID: 25628563)
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2011 Feb;54(1):243-62. (PMID: 20689026)
Front Aging Neurosci. 2013 Oct 04;5:59. (PMID: 24115932)
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2021 Sep;12(5):e1557. (PMID: 33651922)
J Neurosci. 2022 Jan 12;42(2):264-275. (PMID: 34772740)
Brain Behav. 2014 Jan;4(1):21-8. (PMID: 24653951)
J Acoust Soc Am. 1995 Jan;97(1):593-608. (PMID: 7860836)
Maturitas. 2020 Sep;139:6-11. (PMID: 32747042)

1198/22 Israel Science Foundation; 2031/22 Israel Science Foundation

Keywords: Aging; Auditory perception; Domain-general; Visual perception; Working memory

Date Created: 20241227 Date Completed: 20241227 Latest Revision: 20250104

20250104

PMC11680815

10.1038/s41598-024-81154-y

39730569