Evaluation of a digital auditory-cognitive training therapy.
Presbycusis, age-related hearing loss, is the main cause of quality of hearing deterioration in elderly people, and affects more than a third of people over 65. Recently, auditory deficits have been shown to increase the risk of cognitive deficits. Hearing loss is associated with decreased brain volume and loss of brain connectivity. Patients with presbycusis can recover partial hearing with hearing aids. However, the quality of the restored hearing does not always reach the patients’ expectations, who then abandon their devices. Nevertheless, it is possible to improve hearing quality of presbycusis patients. Auditory exercises can train the cerebral networks of auditory perception to improve the intelligibility of the auditory information transmitted by the hearing aid(s). This thesis project aims to develop and validate a new digital therapy in the field of hearing. It consists in cognitive auditory training for people with hearing aids. This training is based on two types of exercises stimulating the perception of speech and the perception of non-verbal sounds. We hypothesize that this training will improve the quality of hearing of people with presbycusis and will promote a better adoption of hearing aids, avoiding the waste of reimbursements for hearing aids.