通過保護你的聽力和視力來防止記憶喪失

通過保護你的聽力和視力來防止記憶喪失

You might think hearing loss is something that happens late in life, but about 30% of men and 20% of women start experiencing issues with hearing by the time they're 40.

你可能認為聽力喪失是在晚年才會發(fā)生的事情，但大約30%的男性和20%的女性在40歲之前就開始出現(xiàn)聽力問題。

We expect and accept hearing decline in older generations, but it actually starts much earlier — and taking steps to offset those losses can make a difference. (Photo: Vadym Plysiuk/Shutterstock)

Blame it on loud concerts or cranking up the music on headphones all those years, but adults start losing their hearing so gradually that they aren't aware of it. By the time they realize they have a problem, some age-related cognitive decline may have occurred.

這么多年來，人們總是將其歸咎于吵鬧的音樂會或戴著耳機聽音樂，但成年人的聽力逐漸喪失，以至于他們自己都沒有意識到。當他們意識到自己有問題時，可能已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了一些與年齡有關的認知衰退。

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society says that fixing the audio issue with hearing aids can help put the brakes on memory loss, slowing the rate of dementia and mental decline.

發(fā)表在《美國老年病學會雜志》上的一項研究稱，用助聽器解決聽力問題有助于減緩記憶喪失，減緩癡呆和智力下降的速度。

"We found the rate of cognitive decline was slowed by 75 percent following the adoption of hearing aids," study author Asri Maharani, a researcher at the University of Manchester in the division of neuroscience and experimental psychology, tells NPR. "It is a surprising result."

“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在使用助聽器后，認知能力下降的速度減緩了75%，”研究作者、曼徹斯特大學神經(jīng)科學和實驗心理學部門的研究員阿斯里·馬哈拉尼告訴美國國家公共電臺(NPR)。“這是一個令人驚訝的結果。”

To measure cognitive ability, researchers performed simple tests with participants every two years for nearly two decades. In one test, for example, they were read a list of 10 simple nouns and then were asked to repeat them immediately afterwards and then again after a short time had passed. The researchers calculated an episodic memory score by adding the number of words recalled immediately and the number remembered after the delay.

為了測量認知能力，研究人員每兩年對參與者進行簡單的測試，持續(xù)了近20年。例如，在一個測試中，他們被要求讀10個簡單的名詞，然后要求他們在之后馬上重復這些名詞，過了一段時間后再重復。研究人員計算了情景記憶的得分，方法是將立即回憶的單詞數(shù)量和延遲后回憶的單詞數(shù)量相加。

During the study, the researchers charted when and if each volunteer began using hearing aids. They found that although episodic memory declined significantly with age, the rate of decline was slower after participants began using hearing aids.

在研究過程中，研究人員記錄了每位志愿者何時開始使用助聽器，以及是否開始使用。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，盡管情景記憶隨著年齡的增長而顯著下降，但在參與者開始使用助聽器后，下降的速度變慢了。

It makes sense, audiologist Dina Rollins tells NPR. "Stimulating your ears stimulates the nerves that stimulate your brain." she says. "We're giving your ears back what they're missing, and giving your brain what it needs to make sense of what you're hearing."

這是有道理的，聽力學家蒂娜·羅林斯告訴美國國家公共電臺。她說:“刺激耳朵會刺激大腦的神經(jīng)。”“我們讓你的耳朵恢復它們所缺失的部分，讓你的大腦了解你所聽到的東西。”

Fixing vision

修復視力

Taking care of your eyes means taking care of your mind. (Photo: Tyler Olson/Shutterstock)

The first team of researchers did a similar study looking at whether correcting vision problems (specifically cataracts) could have a similar impact on arresting cognitive decline. According to the National Eye Institute, people can often have cataracts in their 40s and 50s, but they typically don't begin to affect vision until their 60s or later.

第一組研究人員做了一項類似的研究，觀察矯正視力問題(特別是白內障)是否對阻止認知能力下降有類似的影響。根據(jù)美國國家眼科研究所的研究，人們在四五十歲時往往會患上白內障，但通常直到六十多歲或更晚才會開始影響視力。

Visual impairment has long been linked with lower mental ability, so the researchers looked at the mental abilities of more than 2,000 patients who had cataract surgery.

長期以來，視力障礙一直被認為與較低的心智能力有關，因此研究人員對2000多名白內障手術患者的心智能力進行了研究。

In that study, which was published in the journal PLOS One, they found the rate of cognitive decline was slowed significantly after surgery. It didn't turn back the clock, but it at least slowed down the rate of mental decline.

這項研究發(fā)表在《公共科學圖書館·綜合》雜志上，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)手術后認知能力下降的速度明顯減慢。它沒有讓時間倒流，但至少減緩了智力下降的速度。

"Cataract surgery may have a positive impact on trajectories of cognitive decline in later life," the researchers concluded. "Further research is required to identify the mechanism to explain the association between cataract surgery and cognitive ageing, and whether early intervention towards vision correction results in a reduction in dementia risk."

研究人員總結道:“白內障手術可能會對老年人認知能力下降的軌跡產生積極影響。還需要進一步的研究來確定白內障手術和認知老化之間的關系，以及早期視力矯正干預是否能降低癡呆風險。”

As researchers continue to study healthy aging, this look into the role of hearing and visions is just one more piece to the cognitive puzzle.

隨著研究人員繼續(xù)研究健康老化，這一關于聽覺和視覺作用的研究只是認知謎題的又一塊。