Hearing and vestibular systems are crucial not only for auditory perception and balance but also for supporting a range of cognitive functions. Studies have consistently s hown that hearing loss is associated with structural and functional change s in brain regions critical for cognition\, including the hippocampus. Sim ilarly\, vestibular dysfunction has been linked to impairments in spatial memory\, navigation\, numerical cognition\, and attention\, independent of auditory deficits. Notably\, experimental studies controlling for hearing loss have demonstrated that vestibular impairment alone can lead to defic its in spatial orientation\, visuospatial memory\, and executive functions —likely due to disrupted input to hippocampal and parietal regions respo nsible for spatial representation and body schema.
A central challenge in the literature is disentangling the individual contributions of auditory and vestibular systems\, particu larly given their anatomical and functional interconnections in the brains tem and shared presence in many otologic conditions. Nonetheless\, approxi mately 43% of published studies on vestibular-related cognitive dysfunctio n have controlled for hearing status and still report significant cognitiv e impairments associated with vestibular loss. For example\, Brandt et al. (2005) and Kremmyda et al. (2016) showed that patients with bilateral ves tibular loss exhibited hippocampal atrophy and impaired performance in spa tial memory tasks\, even in the absence of significant hearing impairment. Moreover\, Moser et al. (2017) demonstrated that patients with acute vest ibular neuritis performed worse on mathematical reasoning tasks\, suggesti ng deficits in spatial-numerical processing linked to vestibular disruptio n.
On the other hand\, hearing loss has also been independently associated with impairments in working me mory\, language processing\, and learning\, often through mechanisms such as increased cognitive load\, reduced sensory stimulation\, or neural reor ganization. These effects can be compounded when hearing and vestibular im pairments co-occur\, though most existing studies lack well-defined patien t groups to analyze these interactions systematically.
Given the growing recognition that vestibular and auditory inputs are integral to cognitive processing\, there is a pressing need to incorporate comprehensive sensory assessment in cognitive evaluat ions. This presentation will outline an integrated framework for studying multisensory contributions to cognition and advocate for including vestibu lar function as a standard variable in cognitive research and clinical scr eening.
In conclusion\, hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction should not be seen merely as peripheral s ensory issues but as central factors influencing cognitive health. A bette r understanding of their independent and combined effects may not only ill uminate the neurobiology of cognitive decline but also open new avenues fo r multisensory rehabilitation strategies.
DTSTAMP:20260805T041740Z LOCATION:Audiology 2 SUMMARY:Hidden Contributors to Cognition: The Overlooked Role of Vestibular and Auditory Dysfunction - Nizamettin Burak Avcı\, Melda Acar\, Hung THA I-VAN\, Arzu Hediye KARAKOÇ URL:https://sciencenext.org/ifos2026/talk/LXGW3T/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR