Resting-state EEG microstate dynamics indicate altered brain network temporal organization in age-related hearing loss.

Objective: Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is increasingly recognized as a condition that involves changes in the central nervous system beyond the auditory pathway, with growing evidence showing altered large-scale brain network connectivity. However, how ARHL reshapes the temporal organization of large-scale brain networks remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate whether ARHL is associated with alterations in resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) microstate dynamics and to examine the relationship between microstate features and auditory function. Methods: Resting-state EEGs were recorded in 45 older adults with ARHL and 50 age-matched normal-hearing (NH) controls. Microstate analysis was performed using a seven-class model. Group differences in microstate parameters were assessed. Correlation analyses were conducted to examine associations between microstate metrics and audiological measures, including pure-tone audiometry (PTA) thresholds and speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. Results: Compared with NH controls, participants with ARHL exhibited reduced microstate G time coverage at the nominal significance level (uncorrected Conclusion: ARHL is associated with altered resting-state EEG microstate dynamics, mainly reflected by changes in TPs among sensorimotor and higher-order cognitive networks. Resting-state EEG microstate analysis provides a comprehensive and systematic framework for studying brain network temporal reorganization induced by auditory decline.