Research summary
Hearing difficulties are one of the most common health issues in older adults-and they can lead to depression, anxiety and even cognitive decline. As Canada Research Chair in Aging and Auditory Neuroscience, Dr. Benjamin Zendel’s goal is to improve the hearing abilities of older adults.
Emerging research has shown that music can be used to help with hearing, both through formal music training and through music listening tasks. Zendel and his research team are using electroencephalography (EEG) to identify neural functions related to processing speech and music in older adults. They are also isolating what components of musical training lead to neural enhancements in the processing of speech and music. Ultimately, their aim is to generate knowledge at the intersection of music and aging that could be used to improve hearing abilities in older adults.