Improvement of cognitive abilities after CI also in younger patients

Introduction The present study investigates whether improving hearing after cochlear implantation (CI) in younger patients leads to an improvement in cognition (working memory (WM) and processing speed (PS)).

Material and Methods Thirty-two patients were included in the prospective study and examined preoperatively and 12 months after CI. Adult patients up to 65 years with CI indication were included. Cognition was measured in points using four selected tests from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS IV): "Repeating Numbers" and "Numerical Reasoning" to determine WM, as well as "Symbol Search" and "Number Symbol Test" to determine PS. Hearing was assessed using the Oldenburg Inventory (OI) questionnaire (with the subgroups "quiet", "noise", "directional hearing" and "total"). The data analysis was done with SPSS (rank correlation analysis according to Spearman).

Results The patient cohort comprised 56.3% (n=18) men and 43.8% (n=14) women with a mean age of 52.0 ± 9.6 years. Preoperative correlation of OI with cognition parameters WM and PS showed no significant correlations. Postoperatively, there was a significant correlation between the OI "directional hearing" and the PS (p=0.028) and as well as the OI "total" and the PS (p=0.039).

Discussion The correlation of improved processing speed after CI surgery with better hearing ability in younger patients indicates improved cognitive performance, which can be attributed to increased hearing ability. This also results in increased performance regarding the professional life as well as the communication

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023