通过保护你的听力和视力来防止记忆丧失

通过保护你的听力和视力来防止记忆丧失

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.

你可能认为听力丧失是在晚年才会发生的事情，但大约30%的男性和20%的女性在40岁之前就开始出现听力问题。

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.

这么多年来，人们总是将其归咎于吵闹的音乐会或戴着耳机听音乐，但成年人的听力逐渐丧失，以至于他们自己都没有意识到。当他们意识到自己有问题时，可能已经出现了一些与年龄有关的认知衰退。

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.

发表在《美国老年病学会杂志》上的一项研究称，用助听器解决听力问题有助于减缓记忆丧失，减缓痴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."

“我们发现，在使用助听器后，认知能力下降的速度减缓了75%，”研究作者、曼彻斯特大学神经科学和实验心理学部门的研究员阿斯里·马哈拉尼告诉美国国家公共电台(NPR)。“这是一个令人惊讶的结果。”

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.

为了测量认知能力，研究人员每两年对参与者进行简单的测试，持续了近20年。例如，在一个测试中，他们被要求读10个简单的名词，然后要求他们在之后马上重复这些名词，过了一段时间后再重复。研究人员计算了情景记忆的得分，方法是将立即回忆的单词数量和延迟后回忆的单词数量相加。

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.

在研究过程中，研究人员记录了每位志愿者何时开始使用助听器，以及是否开始使用。他们发现，尽管情景记忆随着年龄的增长而显著下降，但在参与者开始使用助听器后，下降的速度变慢了。

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."

这是有道理的，听力学家蒂娜·罗林斯告诉美国国家公共电台。她说:“刺激耳朵会刺激大脑的神经。”“我们让你的耳朵恢复它们所缺失的部分，让你的大脑了解你所听到的东西。”

Fixing vision

修复视力

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.

第一组研究人员做了一项类似的研究，观察矫正视力问题(特别是白内障)是否对阻止认知能力下降有类似的影响。根据美国国家眼科研究所的研究，人们在四五十岁时往往会患上白内障，但通常直到六十多岁或更晚才会开始影响视力。

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.

长期以来，视力障碍一直被认为与较低的心智能力有关，因此研究人员对2000多名白内障手术患者的心智能力进行了研究。

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.

这项研究发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》杂志上，他们发现手术后认知能力下降的速度明显减慢。它没有让时间倒流，但至少减缓了智力下降的速度。

"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."

研究人员总结道:“白内障手术可能会对老年人认知能力下降的轨迹产生积极影响。还需要进一步的研究来确定白内障手术和认知老化之间的关系，以及早期视力矫正干预是否能降低痴呆风险。”

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.

随着研究人员继续研究健康老化，这一关于听觉和视觉作用的研究只是认知谜题的又一块。