What is it about?
Age-related hearing changes are usually linked to the inner ear, but the middle ear which helps transmit sound to the inner ear may also change with aging. In this study, we used wideband tympanometry, an advanced tool that measures how the middle ear absorbs sound across a wide range of frequencies. We compared younger and older adults who had normal hearing and normal middle-ear function on routine tests. Although there was no overall difference between groups across all frequencies combined, we found frequency-specific changes. Older adults showed higher absorbance at lower frequencies and lower absorbance at higher frequencies compared to younger adults. Younger adults also showed greater changes with pressure variations. These findings suggest that aging may subtly influence middle-ear sound transmission, even when standard hearing tests appear normal.
Featured Image
Photo by alpay tonga on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Most age-related hearing research focuses on the inner ear, while potential changes in the middle ear are often overlooked. This study shows that aging may influence how the middle ear transmits sound in subtle, frequency-specific ways — even when routine clinical tests appear normal. By highlighting these changes, the findings support the clinical value of wideband tympanometry in improving assessment and understanding of age-related auditory function, which may ultimately contribute to more precise hearing evaluation and management in older adults.
Perspectives
This publication is meaningful to me because it highlights an aspect of age-related hearing that is often overlooked the role of the middle ear. While most research focuses on changes in the inner ear, our findings show that subtle, frequency-specific differences in middle-ear sound transmission can occur with aging, even when routine clinical tests appear normal. Through this work, I aimed to contribute to a more complete understanding of auditory aging and to emphasize the value of advanced tools like wideband tympanometry in improving hearing assessment for older adults.
Apoorva S
All India Institute of Speech and Hearing
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effect of Aging on Middle Ear Absorbance Characteristics Across Frequencies, American Journal of Audiology, February 2026, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2025_aja-25-00140.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
