Exploring Cognitive Decline in Audiology Centers: Relationship with Education and Hearing Loss
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51445/sja.auditio.vol10.2026.127Keywords:
dementia, cognition, MoCA, level of studies, speech discriminationAbstract
This multicenter, observational, and cross-sectional study evaluated the feasibility and utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA, v8.1) as a cognitive screening tool in independent Spanish hearing centers. The sample included 131 people aged 56–96 years (mean 75.2; 48% men), in first visit, fitting, or review of hearing aids/implants. Audiological tests (otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry) and Cognitive Reserve (CRC) were collected. The MoCA was administered by certified hearing aid specialists.
The MoCA scores were concentrated between 20–25, with 21 being the cutoff point used in several studies as indicative of cognitive impairment, and in others 26 is taken as the cutoff point for the absence of impairment. 31% of the people explored presented a score lower than 21, which highlights that 3 out of every 10 patients treated in Spanish audiology centers could present cognitive impairment. The analysis of variance showed that the most significant factors of the MoCA were age and schooling and the maximum verbal discrimination percentage, while the degree of hearing loss and the type of speech audiometry curve showed a significant effect. The MoCA correlated positively with the CRC (R=0.50); the results of participants with a level of schooling lower than secondary education obtained significantly lower scores.
As a whole, the data support making efforts to favor the systematic integration of cognitive screening in audiology centers and to study more deeply the association of maximum discrimination and cognitive impairment.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Raul Sanchez-Lopez, Jesus Valero-García, Ana Barón Duque, Pilar San Martín Landa, Ana Rubio Griñán, Ana María Pérez Rodríguez, Paula Sánchez Fernández, Marlene Rodríguez-Ferreiro
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