{"id":2667,"date":"2022-12-02T09:56:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T17:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/?p=2667"},"modified":"2022-12-08T10:00:59","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T18:00:59","slug":"how-hearing-loss-impacts-other-senses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegoent.com\/how-hearing-loss-impacts-other-senses\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hearing Loss Impacts Other Senses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s commonly thought that if you lose one of your five senses, the others will become stronger to compensate. While this is partially true, this phenomenon is a little more complex than you might think. Below we review how hearing loss impacts your other senses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing Loss Causes Changes in the Brain<\/h2>\n\n\n
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A study conducted by the University of Colorado\u2019s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Science in 2015 sought to uncover how hearing loss<\/a> changes the brain and what the implications of these changes are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the study, researchers placed sensors on participants\u2019 scalps in order to monitor their brain\u2019s response to sound stimulation. Then the researchers compared how the brain function of people with hearing loss compared to those with normal hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They found that, among those with hearing loss, the areas of their brains responsible for other senses (like vision and touch) overtook the centers of the brain dedicated to hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers explain<\/a>, \u201cThe areas of the brain responsible for processing vision or touch can recruit areas in which hearing is normally processed, but which receive little or no stimulation in deafness. This is called \u2018cross-modal\u2019 cortical reorganization and reflects a fundamental property of the brain to compensate in response to its environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implications of this Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Though it might sound like cross-modal cortical reorganization is beneficial, there are some implications that are not so positive. Specifically, the brain\u2019s compensatory solution can result in the areas of the brain dedicated to higher-level thinking to take over the weaker areas, so they can no longer perform their primary function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Good News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since the brain begins to reorganize itself in the earliest stages of hearing loss, it\u2019s essential to seek treatment as soon as you start to exhibit symptoms. Some signs of hearing loss include turning up the TV louder than others prefer, asking people to repeat themselves frequently and having trouble hearing in places with lots of background noise like Top of the Market during The Wonderfront Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prompt treatment can prevent this type of reorganization. In fact, according to another study<\/a>, \u201cBeyond the known benefits of hearing aid use on communication, outcomes from this study provide evidence that clinical intervention with well-fit amplification may promote more typical cortical organization and functioning and provide cognitive benefit.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about treatment, such as with hearing aids<\/a>, or to schedule an appointment, call San Diego ENT<\/span> today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n