Approved Research

Risk factors and central mechanism on cognitive function in individuals with Tinnitus and Hearing and visual loss.

Lay summary

Tinnitus, visual loss, and hearing loss have become serious diseases which affect human life. Visual loss and hearing loss are the most important sensor impairment in human beings, and are common among people with cognitive impairment. Hearing loss, as well as visual loss, is reported to be similar to cognitive competence, which is caused by neurodegeneration and is affected by a range of risk factors. The purpose of this study is to explore the risk factors of tinnitus, visual loss, and hearing loss, and to explore underlying mechanisms to explain the relationship between cortical changes related to hearing and visual impairment and cognitive decline, through analyzing UK Biobank data from hearing-related tests, eye measures, genetics, biological samples, imaging, lifestyle, and cognitive competence. Cox proportional hazard model is used to calculate the risk coefficient, and the corresponding regression curve and regression equation were calculated. Whole-genome association studies (GWAS) have been adjusted for confounding factors such as age, sex, race, economics, and body mass index-based genetic risk for new phenotypic identification of variants. The goal of GWAS is to identify new genetic loci and changes in risk factor levels between individuals, and to look for clinical event risk and subclinical disease measures. The rationale for this approach is that basic research has confirmed that the onset of disease can be traced back to the gene level, where genotype determines the intermediate phenotypic differences that cover the intermediate representation of exposure factors to the disease. Studying the association between genotype and diseases can mimic the association between exposure factors and diseases. Furthermore, the analysis of Brain MRI is used to analyze individuals' cognitive behavioral ability, in order to explore how visual and hearing loss can alter neural pathway related to cognitive function. In addition, we will assess the impact of these confounding factors using age, sex, and race stratification. Through this study, we hope to find out the risk factors of tinnitus, visual loss, hearing loss and cognitive decline, and to explore underlying mechanisms to explain the relationship between cortical changes related to hearing impairment and cognitive decline, as well as relationship between cortical changes related to visual impairment and cognitive decline, in order to strengthen the early control and early prevention on the basis of the existing treatment, in order to achieve the future tinnitus, visual and hearing loss of the early prevention.