Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss

Introduction: Listening effort refers to the cognitive resources required to understand speech, particularly in challenging environments. Individuals with hearing loss experience increased listening effort due to auditory deficits, affecting their communication and cognitive load. Understanding the...

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Main Authors: Zahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh, Marzieh Amiri, Elham Tavanai, Vida Rahimi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Modern Rehabilitation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jmr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmr/article/view/1301
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author Zahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh
Marzieh Amiri
Elham Tavanai
Vida Rahimi
author_facet Zahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh
Marzieh Amiri
Elham Tavanai
Vida Rahimi
author_sort Zahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Listening effort refers to the cognitive resources required to understand speech, particularly in challenging environments. Individuals with hearing loss experience increased listening effort due to auditory deficits, affecting their communication and cognitive load. Understanding the mechanisms underlying listening efforts is essential for developing effective hearing interventions. This study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying listening efforts in individuals with hearing impairments. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted using specific keywords in Google Scholar (as a search engine) and the research databases Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. Relevant articles were selected based on their alignment with the focus on the mechanisms of listening effort in individuals with hearing loss. Results: Hearing loss triggers compensatory cognitive strategies, engaging the prefrontal regions and working memory to process degraded auditory signals. Neural adaptations, including cross-modal plasticity and reliance on top-down processing, further elevate mental workload. Degraded temporal processing and attentional demands in noisy environments exacerbate effort, often leading to fatigue. Conclusion: Understanding these mechanisms informs interventions, such as adaptive hearing technologies, cognitive training to optimize resource allocation and personalized communication strategies. Integrating neurophysiological insights into clinical practice can reduce cognitive fatigue and enhance communication outcomes.
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spelling doaj-art-33cf2188ae8346529e7f6870c8e2de6a2025-08-20T02:58:34ZengTehran University of Medical SciencesJournal of Modern Rehabilitation2538-385X2538-38682025-04-0119310.18502/jmr.v19i3.19085Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing LossZahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh0Marzieh Amiri1Elham Tavanai2Vida Rahimi3Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Introduction: Listening effort refers to the cognitive resources required to understand speech, particularly in challenging environments. Individuals with hearing loss experience increased listening effort due to auditory deficits, affecting their communication and cognitive load. Understanding the mechanisms underlying listening efforts is essential for developing effective hearing interventions. This study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying listening efforts in individuals with hearing impairments. Materials and Methods: A narrative review was conducted using specific keywords in Google Scholar (as a search engine) and the research databases Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed. Relevant articles were selected based on their alignment with the focus on the mechanisms of listening effort in individuals with hearing loss. Results: Hearing loss triggers compensatory cognitive strategies, engaging the prefrontal regions and working memory to process degraded auditory signals. Neural adaptations, including cross-modal plasticity and reliance on top-down processing, further elevate mental workload. Degraded temporal processing and attentional demands in noisy environments exacerbate effort, often leading to fatigue. Conclusion: Understanding these mechanisms informs interventions, such as adaptive hearing technologies, cognitive training to optimize resource allocation and personalized communication strategies. Integrating neurophysiological insights into clinical practice can reduce cognitive fatigue and enhance communication outcomes. https://jmr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmr/article/view/1301Listening effortHearing lossCognitive loadMechanisms
spellingShingle Zahra Iran Pour Mobarakeh
Marzieh Amiri
Elham Tavanai
Vida Rahimi
Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
Journal of Modern Rehabilitation
Listening effort
Hearing loss
Cognitive load
Mechanisms
title Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
title_full Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
title_fullStr Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
title_full_unstemmed Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
title_short Mechanisms of Listening Effort in Individuals with Hearing Loss
title_sort mechanisms of listening effort in individuals with hearing loss
topic Listening effort
Hearing loss
Cognitive load
Mechanisms
url https://jmr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmr/article/view/1301
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AT elhamtavanai mechanismsoflisteningeffortinindividualswithhearingloss
AT vidarahimi mechanismsoflisteningeffortinindividualswithhearingloss