In this project, Dr Daniel Llano at University of Illinois aims to better understand whether and how hearing loss contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Project start date: September 2026
Project end date: September 2029
About the project
We still don’t fully understand the connection between hearing loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Past studies seeking to understand this connection better have used mouse models with only rare genetic forms of Alzheimer’s disease, which limits our understanding for less rare cases. Secondly, these models have only included genes that also cause early hearing loss, which makes it hard to study how hearing loss affects the brain.
This past research has discovered that most Alzheimer’s diseases cases are connected to a gene called APOE4. Now, Dr Daniel Llano’s team have developed a new mouse model that carries this gene but does not have inherited hearing loss, allowing them to study how hearing loss and APOE4 interact.
How it works
The researchers will measure how well the APOE4 mice hear, both at the level of the ear and the brain and compare them to mice with a different gene, which is not associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
They will then expose the mice to noise to cause hearing loss and determine if this worsens memory or causes brain changes related to Alzheimer’s disease.
What will this research achieve?
The results from this project will improve our understanding of the relationship between hearing loss and dementia and help to identify prevention strategies and potential treatments for both conditions. This study will also provide other researchers with a new, robust model to further investigate the link between hearing loss and Alzheimer’s disease.
Why it matters
Hearing loss becomes more common as people age, and many studies have shown that it increases the risk of developing dementia. Understanding their link could lead to better prevention strategies for both conditions.
About the researcher
Dr Daniel Llano is a neurologist and neuroscientist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and was awarded a Discovery Research Grant in 2026. He holds faculty appointments in the Departments of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Speech and Hearing Science and is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Historically, much of hearing research has focused on the ear, but hearing ultimately happens in the brain. Understanding how auditory circuits in the brain interpret complex sounds – and how those circuits change with hearing loss, aging, or disease – is essential if we want to address problems like speech-in-noise difficulty, tinnitus, and the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline.”
