How Untreated Hearing Loss Accelerates Brain Atrophy And What You Can Do Now

What Is Brain Atrophy And How Does It Occur In Relation To Hearing Loss?

When sound slips out of reach, the brain does not simply turn down the volume—it reorganizes. We sit down with Dr. Jill Copley to unpack what modern research shows about hearing loss, gray matter atrophy, and the fine line between normal aging and early cognitive decline. From landmark MRI findings to new protein studies, we explore how the auditory system connects to memory, attention, and everyday thinking, and why timely care can make a real difference.

We trace the arc from the 2014 evidence showing gray matter shrinkage in people with untreated hearing loss to deeper investigations that separate amyloid from tau. The latest data suggests amyloid burden does not strongly predict cognitive risk in those with hearing loss, while tau signals do track with decline, pointing to a biological bridge worth watching. That nuance matters for families wondering whether hearing problems point to dementia, and for anyone deciding when to act. Dr. Copley explains how reduced input increases cognitive load, why the brain’s speech and auditory hubs are at risk, and how early, well-fit hearing devices help keep processing pathways active.

Beyond devices, we highlight everyday levers of brain health: deep, regular sleep that helps clear waste proteins through cerebrospinal fluid flow, and movement that boosts blood flow and neurotrophic support. Pair those habits with practical communication strategies and you get a sustainable plan to preserve clarity, ease social connection, and extend the number of sharp, happy years. We close with clear next steps for assessment and care, plus encouragement to treat hearing not as a minor nuisance but as a cornerstone of cognitive longevity.

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Total Hearing Care
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Transcript

Welcome And Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference, where we help you experience life through better hearing. Hosted by the Experts of Total Hearing Care, a leading private audiology practice serving the DFW Metroplex, we are here to provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus, and the latest advancements in audiology. Transform your life through better hearing. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

When sound fades, the brain can physically shrink, making early intervention more important than ever. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Dr. Jill Copley. Dr. Copley, how's it going today? Hey, it's going really well. Thanks for having me. Of course, now, Dr. Copley, to begin today's conversation, can you explain what is brain atrophy and how does it occur in relation to hearing loss?

SPEAKER_02 1:02

So, in in simplistic terms, brain atrophy is basically the shrinkage of brain tissue. And what we'll talk today a lot about is the gray matter, which is what's used for processing. Although some studies have shown that there's some brain atrophy and some white matter in certain areas of the brain. But mostly the research is showing gray matter shrinkage. And so it's just kind of what it sounds like. It's just shrinking the brain. Um, you're the tissue isn't being used anymore for what it needs to be used for.

Gray Matter Vs White Matter

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Now, getting into things deeper here, can you go over with our listeners today the difference between the white matter and the gray matter and why knowing that difference is so important?

Landmark 2014 MRI Findings

Comparing Hearing Loss To Alzheimer’s

Amyloid Findings: No Clear Link

Tau Proteins And Cognitive Decline

SPEAKER_02 1:55

So I'm gonna start with some of the research that occurred in 2014. We had a major study come out in the realm of hearing loss and cognitive decline. And so when they were looking at that, they did MRIs on patients and found that um people with hearing loss had brain shrinkage or brain atrophy in their gray matter. Um, and that that's what that study looked at. They didn't really look at white matter, they were looking at gray matter, and that people with um cognitive issues also have brain shrinkage. And so they looked at it and they said, hey, the brain shrinkage we see with hearing loss, with significant hearing loss, is looking about the same as the brain shrinkage with Alzheimer's disease. And maybe that's related. And so then we go into further research with that. Now, when we look at the difference between gray matter and white matter, what is what is basically matters, sorry for the the use of that that word again, but what what matters is where the shrinkage is occurring. So often the shrinkage that we see with hearing loss is occurring in areas, whether it's gray matter or white matter, um, in areas used for processing hearing and speech information. And it may occur in the actual speech area of the brain, it may occur in the auditory cortex area of the brain, and it may occur in the processing areas of the brain, the overall processing areas of the brain. And again, this is very similar to what happens in Alzheimer's disease. And one of the reasons they look at this compared to Alzheimer's disease is how Alzheimer's disease is the most common kind of dementia. And so it's it's something there's a lot of research going into is Alzheimer's disease. And so those were kind of the initial initial studies of this. What I'm going to talk about now in getting more detailed is actually studies that looked at what happens in Alzheimer's disease and can we compare it to hearing loss and just cognitive decline. And with Alzheimer's disease, um, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins. And so what studies have done now is they've gone in to look at and see, okay, if we have amyloid plaque buildup, the amyloid proteins buildup with hearing loss, does that even relate to Alzheimer's disease? If we look at that, so what they have done in some of these studies to compare amyloid and and tau proteins, and these are two different studies, um, is they take people who have hearing loss but are cognitively healthy. Okay, so they're not showing any signs of cognitive decline yet. And they go in and they they do these studies, they do MRIs, they do blood tests, they do workups, PET scans, and they have found that hearing loss and amyloid plaque buildup are are not related. So they are not significant in determining if somebody might get Alzheimer's disease. So basically, even though you have the hearing loss, can we say if you have a certain hearing loss, will it develop into Alzheimer's? And they're not showing that with these particular studies looking at the the amyloid plaque. Now, the tau proteins have shown something separate. So other studies have looked at just the tau proteins, and those were significant. So they were significant for hearing loss and cognitive decline. Um, now have they related it yet to Alzheimer's? Not quite, but it's a start in going, okay, this is happening in the brain. These tau proteins are building up. Um, they are related to cognitive decline and hearing loss. Now, what happens next? And so, but that that's where they are right now, as far as looking deeper into um how the brain brain is changing. The other, these other studies have also gone back and kind of um reiterated what that first study showed was that you do have that significant atrophy in the brain. But now they're looking even deeper at the actual proteins that are occurring and comparing them.

Long‑Term Risks And Early Treatment

SPEAKER_01 6:39

So, Dr. Copley, one final question for you today. What should patients know about the long-term impact, let's say five, 10 years down the line, um of untreated hearing loss on brain health overall?

Sleep, Exercise, And Brain Health

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Um, so that's that's an excellent question because one of the things they show with Alzheimer's is that you may have a buildup of these plaques for about 15 years before you even notice symptoms. And I think with hearing loss, if they are related, and like I said, some of the studies are showing that they are and some are showing not, but if they are, we need to catch hearing loss early and we need to treat it or as early as possible. And today's devices can do that. Um they can treat hearing loss much earlier than we used to be able to 20, 30 years ago. But there are other things you want to do to help your brain health. And one of the things I read about is that sleep is incredibly important because during sleep, your cerebrospinal fluid flows through your brain and actually helps um take some of those waste proteins out. And so sleep is very important. Um, movement and exercise is very important. So there's lots of things that go together for brain health. But certainly as far as hearing goes, we want to treat it as quickly as possible to try to, we may not be able to prevent Alzheimer's from occurring, but what we want to do is at least slow those symptoms of cognitive decline so that people have more years and more happy years and health, healthy years before that process begins and before we see that process.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

Well, Dr. Copley, thank you so much for shedding light on such an important and often overlooked aspect of hearing health. We appreciate your expertise and we will see everyone next time. Okay, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing Care Difference. If you're in the DFW Metroplex and ready to take the next step toward better hearing, call 469 809 4487 to book an appointment or visit totalhearing care dot com because when you hear better, you live better. See you next time.