If you’re trying to reduce your personal risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s, the answer might be right in front of your eyes — or within earshot.
Dr. Kellyann Niotis, a preventive neurologist and assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, said vision and hearing loss are two risk factors for cognitive decline.
“They’re two big ones that people don’t often think about as related to their brain,” Niotis said at a June salon dinner with Julianne Moore to promote Brain Health Matters, a public health campaign from Lilly to encourage brain health awareness. “So if you are not up to date on your annual screenings, please, please, please do that.”
Niotis, who focuses on diseases like Alzheimer’s, told Business Insider that she hopes more people will take risk factors like sensory loss more seriously as they age. A 2024 Lancet study found that nearly half of all dementia cases worldwide could potentially be prevented by mitigating risk factors, including vision and hearing loss.
Niotis shared why our eyes and ears are so linked to brain health — and what to watch out for.
Why sensory loss may be connected to cognitive decline
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Niotis said researchers are still trying to figure out exactly why hearing and vision loss are tied to neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. As of now, there are some hypotheses.
One is related to brain stimulation. A big part of brain health preservation is challenging your brain, be it through puzzles, learning a new language, or playing an instrument, Niotis said.
Sensory loss can make it harder to activate certain parts of the brain. “There’s a thought that as someone loses their sight, they aren’t being provided with that sensory stimulation that that region of the brain needs,” Niotis said.
Another theory is more straightforward: losing your sight or hearing has downstream effects on other brain-healthy habits. “If you can’t see well, are you less socially engaged? Are you more socially isolated? Are you less willing to engage in activities, like exercise, that otherwise are keeping your brain active?” Niotis said.
Watch out for halos or other people complaining about your…
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