KNBN NewsCenter1 May 26, 2021 RAPID CITY, S.D. — New research is being conducted every year to understand all the effects hearing loss has on a person. Even in the last five years our understanding of hearing loss and brain health has become much clearer. Doctors agree that hearing loss can lead to everything from depression to social isolation and even dementia. While there is still a lot of research to be done, one thing is clear – the connection between hearing health and brain health are tightly interwoven. Hearing loss goes beyond simple decibel or frequency loss — your brain’s processing power is often the greatest concern. While your ears gather sound waves it is your brain that actually “hears” them, processing all the information into something you can recognize. If your hearing is impaired it begins to affect how your brain functions, and the longer it goes untreated the greater the chance of other problems developing.