Gene and Stress on Hearing Loss in Older Adults

The objective of this research is to investigate the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying hearing loss (HL), with a specific focus on how psychosocial stress and related environmental exposures interact with genetic/epigenetic markers to affect HL risk and progression, especially in older adults. We will conduct a cohort-based study design leveraging HRS dataset, integrating genomic, epigenomic (e.g. DNA methylation), and environmental data to evaluate both main effects and interactions. Our analysis plan will include (1) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of HL; (2) joint tests of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors, with a particular focus on psychosocial stress, and (3) integrative approaches to develop a predictive model to improve HL prediction and identify at-risk subgroups. The primary phenotypes of interest include self-rated hearing difficulties, and auditory measures from pure tune audiometry test. Psychosocial stress includes measures from Leave Behind Questionnaires, with sociodemographic, lifestyle and health variables. This project will improve our understanding of how genetic susceptibility and stress exposures jointly impact HL risk, with the long-term goal of identifying biomarkers for early detection and potential intervention targets. At this stage, no external collaborators are planned, though we anticipate future opportunities for collaboration to validate findings across institutions or cohorts.

We plan to study how genes and epigenetic changes (such as DNA methylation) interact with stress to affect hearing loss (HL) in older adults. Using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data, we will investigate whether stress and genetics together contribute to higher risk of hearing problems. This research could help identify people at greater risk and provide insights into strategies to prevent or reduce HL through both medical and public health approaches.