Dec 3, 2020
MBP Researcher Explores Hearing Decline in the Elderly
MBP scientist Dr. Bernard Ross has led new research into the mechanisms behind hearing loss as humans age. In their investigations, Ross and his team ‘discovered a mechanism that explains why the elderly frequently have difficulties distinguishing speech from other noise’.
The team of researchers 'discovered that difficulty in understanding speech in noise (SIN) relates to the changes in central auditory processing caused by decreasing levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain' which 'naturally decrease as we age.’
Ross and his team hope that studying the complicated mechanics of aging and cognitive decline can assist researchers in finding ways to counter-act these effects in the future.