Neuroplasticity is our brain’s ability to change and reorganize its function. A study done at University of Colorado’s Department of Speech Language and Hearing Science, took a closer look at the brain’s neuroplasticity to determine the effects hearing loss had on the brain. The research found that when hearing loss occurs, other areas of the brain such as vision and touch will take over the parts that were initially used for hearing. It is our brain’s way of compensating for the loss of senses. After a while, the brain completely rewires itself from its natural state and can have serious ramifications on our cognition. This rewiring is called compensatory brain reorganization and significantly reduces the brain’s ability to process sound and can have a huge impact on how we understand speech, which means that the brain now has to use more parts just to comprehend normal speech. This compensation is done at the expense of the parts of your brain used for a higher level of thinking. It is basically your brain’s way of taking from its strong areas and giving it to the weaker. This leaves a decreased area in your brain to perform at the higher level that it is supposed to.
”Compensatory brain reorganization could explain why age related hearing loss is so strongly correlated with dementia, and why it must be taken seriously. Even in the early stages of hearing loss, the brain begins to reorganize. Knowing this, the solution could be as simple as early hearing loss screening programs for adults. Getting ahead of the decline through early intervention could prevent long term cognitive issues down the road.”
