Audiology Center of Maine

04/19/2025

A recent study published 4/17/2025 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery finds that treating hearing loss may delay or prevent the onset of dementia in a substantial number of older adults.

Nearly a third (33%) of all cases of dementia may be attributed to hearing loss. And, treating hearing loss significantly reduces the risk of dementia and may slow the progression of decline.

Our doctors and staff at Audiology Center of Maine focus on your ear-to-brain connection. Your hearing ability goes far beyond how many beeps you hear in the sound booth. We hear with our brains. Science continues to prove this. If your hearing test didn't include speech-in-noise testing, tests of auditory processing, and a cognitive screening, it could be argued that you didn't receive a true assessment of your hearing abilities.

This cohort study calculates the fraction of a large older adult population for whom incident dementia may have been associated with hearing loss.

02/07/2025

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

Do you believe that there is nothing that can be done about your tinnitus symptoms? For most patients suffering with tinnitus, that statement simply isn’t true! Here are some effective treatment options available for managing tinnitus:

Tinnitus and Sound Stimulation. This is the single-most effective treatment option available for patients with tinnitus is a prescriptive technology capable of stimulating the ear-to-brain neural connections. The technology is FDA-regulated for individuals with tinnitus. In fact, 100% of clinical studies between 2010 and 2020 indicated that patients who use tinnitus treatment technology have a significant reduction in the daily tinnitus experience – with some even reporting that the ‘ringing is gone all day.’

Tinnitus and Brain Training. Treating tinnitus with sound stimulation may be enhanced with brain training in many patients by providing additional support to the brain. A research study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) suggested a new Brain HQ game can significantly reduce a patient’s perception of tinnitus.

(A special thank you to Dr. Keith Darrow, audiologist and neuroscientist at AuDExperts. The majority of this content we are sharing this month comes directly from his amazing book: “SILENCED. The Medical Treatment of Tinnitus.”)

Interesting in learning more? Check out Brain HQ by entering Brain Exercises, Brain Training, Brain Health – BrainHQ from Posit Science into your web browser.

02/06/2025

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

What is the theory behind tinnitus? When the brain is not adequately stimulated by the ears (even in the very earliest stages of hearing loss), the brain will increase neural activity to make up for the missing input – and the result is that you will hear a sound (that you shouldn’t be hearing!).

This phantom (or false) perception of a sound is neurologically analogous to an amputee’s perception of a 'phantom limb.’
Ears do not have traditional ‘pain receptors.’ The perception of ‘pain’ that results from damage to the ear is perceived as a ‘phantom sound’ (tinnitus). As the brain tries to adapt to the decrease in sound stimulation from the ears and the damage to the nerves in the brain, it will begin to experience a build up of activity that results in our (false) perception of sound.

The fMRI scans on the brains of people who are living with tinnitus show us various abnormalities. Areas of the brain with abnormal increases in neural activity (colored red in the picture), include the brainstem, thalamus, limbic area (emotion), hippocampal regions (memory). Areas of the brain with abnormal decreases in neural activity (colored blue in the picture) include the frontal cortex (decision making, memory, speech planning, etc.) and precuneus area (recollection and memory).

(A special thank you to Dr. Keith Darrow, audiologist and neuroscientist at AuDExperts. The majority of this content we are sharing this month comes directly from his amazing book: “SILENCED. The Medical Treatment of Tinnitus.”)

02/05/2025

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

Yes – there are effective treatments for tinnitus. Ringing in the ears and/or head can be effectively treated in (~90%) patients.

The remaining

02/04/2025

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

Tinnitus is often described as the experience of hearing a sound in your ears, sometimes in your head.

Tinnitus is the result of damage to neural connections within the brain.

The initial cause of tinnitus can vary; however, the #1 cause is aging, followed by noise exposure, either a single intense noise (like a shotgun blast) or long-term exposure either from work, play (musicians, concert attendees, carpenters, machinists, landscapers, etc.), medication, and virus (i.e. Covid).

Regardless of the cause, the underlying pathology in almost always the same: a breakdown of the neural integrity of connections between ethe ear and brain (the ear-to-brain connections).

(A special thank you to Dr. Keith Darrow, audiologist and neuroscientist at AuDExperts. The majority of this content we are sharing this month comes directly from his amazing book: “SILENCED. The Medical Treatment of Tinnitus.”)

02/03/2025

“My ears whistle and buzz all day and night. I can say I am leading a wretched life.”
~Ludwig Von Beethoven

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

Tinnitus, that persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears, can often be dismissed as a minor inconvenience. However, tinnitus serves as an essential indicator that something might not be quite right within your auditory system, your brain, or overall health. Ignoring tinnitus may lead to missed opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment.

Tinnitus is not something that you should ‘learn to live with.” Leaving tinnitus untreated could have significant consequences as you age. It may not only affect your quality of life but also increase the risk of cognitive decline and loss of independence in later years.

Understanding the seriousness of tinnitus, we will be sharing information related to this condition to counteract the spread of misinformation and misconceptions related to this condition.

(A special thank you to Dr. Keith Darrow, audiologist and neuroscientist at AuDExperts. The majority of this content we are sharing this month comes directly from his amazing book: “SILENCED. The Medical Treatment of Tinnitus.”)

02/01/2025

Did you know? February is Tinnitus Awareness Month.

What is tinnitus? Whether you say it as "ti·nuh·tuhs" or "tin·a·tis," tinnitus is defined as a phantom perception of sound in your ears, sometimes in your head.

Each person with tinnitus has a different sound experience. Tinnitus can sound like clicking, hissing, ringing, whooshing, buzzing, shooshing, or other sounds.

Tinnitus can be a sound that is only heard when the world is quiet and when you are about to fall asleep. Or, tinnitus can be heard all day long and get in the way of life, work, love, and happiness.

Tinnitus represents an internal alarm – something is not as it should be! It is important that you learn why you have tinnitus and find out what treatment is best for you. Tinnitus is not normal.

There are nearly 50,000,000 American adults living with tinnitus and almost 1.5 billion people worldwide. Along with hearing loss, tinnitus is the most common sensory disorder on the planet. And tinnitus is experienced by over 90% of people living with hearing loss. (Which also means, 90% of people with tinnitus have some hearing loss!)

This month, we will be highlighting tinnitus and sharing helpful information with you about this disorder. Stay tuned!

08/11/2024

Your hearing is important! Hearing loss is not just a social inconvenience - your brain 🧠 needs your ears! Learn more from Doctor Cliff AuD in this video.

07/30/2024

Ask yourself: Are you worth it? Are your loved ones worth it?

04/19/2024

Here’s a not-so-fun fact about untreated hearing loss: Even a mild hearing loss can double your risk of dementia. The good news? You can improve your hearing and your cognitive health by daily wearing properly-fitted prescriptive hearing aids. What's a properly-fitted prescriptive hearing aid? It's a hearing aid from your audiologist that has been programmed especially for you using probe microphone measures - otherwise known as "verification" or "conformity". Now is a good time to schedule an appointment with your audiologist to have your hearing evaluated!