Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42063522›Full record

ArticleBrain communications2026

White matter hyperintensities, retinal vascular calibre and changes in age-related hearing loss.

David P Q Clark, Cammie Tran, Sultana Monira Hussain, Catherine Robb, Carlene Britt, Robyn L Woods, Paul A Yates, Amy Brodtmann, Mohamed Salah Khlif, Geoffrey Donnan and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Brain communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

David P Q ClarkSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Cammie TranSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Sultana Monira HussainSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Catherine RobbSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Carlene BrittSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Robyn L WoodsSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1249-6149
Paul A YatesDepartment of Geriatric Medicine/Aged Care Services, Continuing Care Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.
Amy BrodtmannDepartment of Neuroscience Central Clinical School, Monash University The Alfred Centre,Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Mohamed Salah KhlifDepartment of Neuroscience Central Clinical School, Monash University The Alfred Centre,Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Geoffrey DonnanMelbourne Brain Centre, University of Melbourne, Department of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Gary RanceDepartment of Audiology and Speech Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
John J McNeilSchool of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1049-5129

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cerebral small vessel disease may contribute to age-related hearing loss pathogenesis by reducing blood flow to the cochlea and/or areas of the brain important for hearing. Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) and retinal vascular calibre are both considered to be non-invasive markers of cerebral small vessel health. This study investigated the relationship between age-related hearing loss, retinal vascular calibre and WMHs in older adults using data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, including participants who underwent hearing assessment, retinal photography and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were free of evident cardiovascular disease at recruitment between 2010 and 2014. Retinal vascular calibre was measured using central retinal arteriolar and venular equivalents. Total brain WMH volumes were calculated using an automated lesion prediction algorithm and further segmented as deep WMH and periventricular WMH. Hearing acuity was assessed using pure tone audiometry and speech perception in background noise. A total of 308 participants (aged 70+) were included. In both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses no associations were found between baseline central retinal arteriolar equivalent, central retinal venular equivalent, total WMH, deep WMH or periventricular WMH in relation to changes in audiometric 0.5, 4 and 8 kHz thresholds or speech perception after adjusting for confounding factors. This study identified no relationship between retinal vascular calibre, WMH volumes and hearing function in healthy older adults. This suggests that microvascular changes in the eye and brain may occur independently of changes in auditory function in older individuals.

Indexed as

ageingage-related hearing losscerebral small vessel diseaseretinal vascular calibrewhite matter hyperintensities

Identifiers

PMID42063522
PMCPMC13126660

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.