Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42054294›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2026

Effects of executive function training on balance and auditory-cognitive dual-task performance in adults with and without hearing loss.

Niroshica Mohanathas, Lianna Montanari, Rachel Downey, Karen Z H Li, Margaret Kathleen Pichora-Fuller, Louis Bherer, Maxime Lussier, Natalie Phillips, Walter Wittich, Nancy St-Onge and 2 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05418998 (Training Cognition to Improve Mobility and Listening in Older Adults with Hearing Loss), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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.

NCT05418998 nacompletednot on this map

Training Cognition to Improve Mobility and Listening in Older Adults with Hearing Loss: Moving from Lab to Life

TypeinterventionalSponsorConcordia University, MontrealRan2020 to 2024Enrolled63ConditionsAging, Age Related Hearing LossArmsExecutive function (EF) training
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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.

Niroshica MohanathasDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-2313
Lianna MontanariKITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Rachel DowneyDepartment of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Karen Z H LiDepartment of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Margaret Kathleen Pichora-FullerDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Louis BhererDepartment of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Maxime LussierResearch Center of the University Institute of Geriatrics of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Natalie PhillipsDepartment of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Walter WittichSchool of Optometry, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2184-6139
Nancy St-OngePERFORM Centre, Concordia University School of Health, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jean-Pierre GagneSchool of Speech Therapy and Audiology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Jennifer L CamposDepartment of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMultitasking, such as listening while balancing, relies on integrated processing in the sensory, cognitive, and motor systems; systems that often decline with age. Hearing loss is linked to increased risks of both falls and cognitive decline. Improving cognitive processing through executive function (EF) training may support balance, especially in older adults with hearing loss. This randomized controlled study conducted across age groups and hearing abilities, examined the effects of a 12-week EF training program on postural outcomes (center of pressure (COP)) using an auditory-cognitive-postural dual-task paradigm.

methodsSixty-five participants including middle-aged adults with normal hearing (MA; n = 19), older adults with normal hearing (OA; n = 23), and older adults with hearing loss who used hearing aids (OAHL; n = 23) were randomly assigned within each age group to an EF training condition or a control condition. Primary outcome measures were auditory-cognitive reaction time on an auditory 2-back working memory task and postural measures (COP path length variability), which were collected in single- and dual-task conditions. Secondary analyses examined whether sensory, cognitive, and mobility performance, as evaluated by baseline standardized assessments, predicted training-related outcomes.

resultsAcross MA, OA, and OAHL groups, cognitive performance generally improved following EF training and transfer of these training effects were observed during experimental postural tasks and auditory-cognitive tasks, but differed depending on age, pure-tone hearing thresholds, and cognitive abilities. Specifically, for postural outcomes, performance improved after training, but only for older adults with better hearing, while those with poorer hearing at any age did not improve. For auditory-cognitive task performance, older adults with the poorest hearing and cognition benefited the most from training.

conclusionsEF training may support balance and cognition in older adults, although its benefits for balance may be limited by severe hearing loss, underscoring the value of early intervention.

trial registrationRegistry Name: ClinicalTrials.gov. Registration/Trial number: NCT05418998. Trial URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05418998.

Indexed as

CognitionExecutive FunctionHearing LossPostural BalanceAgedCognitive EnhancementCognitive TrainingDual-Task TestsFemaleHearing AidsHumansMaleMemory, Short-TermMiddle AgedReaction Time

Identifiers

PMID42054294
PMCPMC13127936

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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 OpenQuestion graph.