REVIEW article
Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Brain-aging
Volume 17 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2025.1657603
This article is part of the Research TopicAge-Related Hearing Loss: From Pathogenesis to Therapy and Psychiatric ImpactView all articles
Pathophysiological Insights and Therapeutic Developments in Age-Related Hearing Loss: a Narrative Review
Provisionally accepted
- Hebei University, Baoding, China
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Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), or presbycusis, is characterized by a progressive decline in binaural auditory sensitivity, particularly affecting high-frequency hearing and sound localization. The pathogenesis of ARHL is still unclear, correspondingly reflected in a lack of clinically effective intervention strategies. Recent advancements in audiology and neurobiology have illuminated the black box of the pathogenesis of ARHL. The intricate mechanisms underlying ARHL involve inflammation, oxidative stress, excessive autophagy, cellular signaling dysregulation, and metabolic alterations, which cause substantial damage to cellular function within cochlea. The weakened sound conduction and reduced auditory information processing potentially leads to emotional distress and heightened susceptibility to neurodegenerative conditions like cognitive decline and dementia. Promising interventions targeting these mechanisms are actively being investigated, ranging from pharmacological approaches to genetic therapies and lifestyle interventions. This narrative review summarizes recent research progress in understanding ARHL pathogenesis and discusses emerging strategies for prevention and treatment, highlighting the imperative for targeted interventions to enhance auditory health and overall well-being in aging populations.
Keywords: age-related hearing loss, Presbycusis, Pathogenesis, Drug Targets, Therapeutics
Received: 01 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sun, Zhao, He, Liu, Nie and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: You Zhou, Hebei University, Baoding, China
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