Slight and hidden hearing loss differentially affect short- and long-term memory in young rats

Mild forms of hearing loss (HL) have been linked to cognitive impairments in children, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this connection remain unclear. Existing research using animal models mostly focuses on more severe levels of HL or investigates only limited aspects of cognition. To gain a broader understanding of how slight/hidden HL affects cognitive behaviors, we induced HL in 4-week-old Wistar rats through noise exposure. Auditory brainstem response measurements confirmed slight and hidden HL, but this auditory impairment did not alter the density of inner hair cells or their synapses with the spiral ganglion (primary auditory) neurons. Both short- and long- term memory formation were tested using the object location, novel object recognition, and social recognition task. Behaviorally, rats with slight/hidden HL performed better than normal hearing (NH) rats during short-term cognition tests. However, long-term memory was impaired in rats with slight/hidden HL when compared to NH controls. Slight/hidden HL also did not consistently affect (social) exploration. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that slight and hidden HL differentially affect short- and long-term cognitive processes in an animal model of early (noise-induced) HL, without affecting (social) exploration. These results suggest a nuanced relationship between slight and hidden HL and both short- and long-term memory formation, underscoring the importance of broader cognitive phenotyping and further investigation into the neurobiological structures linking hearing impairment with cognitive function.