ACHIEVE Study Links Hearing Treatment to Slower Rise in Brain-Health Biomarker

A new analysis of the landmark ACHIEVE (Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders) clinical trial suggests that treating hearing loss may slow inflammation- and degeneration-related biological changes in the aging brain. The study 00417-7/fulltext), published in the September 2026 edition of EClinicalMedicine , examined blood samples from older adults who had been randomly assigned to receive either a comprehensive hearing intervention or a healthy-aging education program. After 3 years, participants receiving hearing aids and audiological care showed a significantly slower increase in a blood biomarker associated with neuroinflammation. The findings could help researchers better understand why hearing treatment appeared to slow cognitive decline among ACHIEVE participants who were at greater risk for dementia. “Overall, this investigation suggests that hearing intervention may reduce the progression of non-specific biomarkers of neuroinflammation among older adults with hearing loss who have multiple risk factors for incident dementia,” wrote lead author James Russell Pike and colleagues. “This finding bolsters the role of hearing loss as a modifiable target for dementia prevention, as elevated levels of non-specific biomarkers of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration are associated with both accelerated cognitive decline and greater risk of dementia in older community-dwelling adults.” Measuring biological changes in the blood The original 2023 ACHIEVE study 01406-X/abstract) by Frank Lin et al. enrolled 977 adults ages 70-84 with untreated mild-to-moderate hearing loss but without substantial cognitive impairment. Participants were randomly assigned to a hearing intervention or a health-education control group. The hearing program included professionally fitted hearing aids, audiological counseling, and continuing support. The control group received individual education sessions on healthy aging and chronic-disease prevention. For this latest study, resea