Report from the Academy Task Force on Central Presbycusis Structured Abstract

Background: In 2009, the Academy's Board of Directors authorized the creation of a Task 2 Force on Central Presbycusis. The task force's charge was to review the body of evidence 3 surrounding the existence of age-related declines in central-auditory processes and the 4 consequences of any such declines for everyday communication and function. If the evidence 5 warranted, the task force was also to review approaches to the identification and treatment of 6 such age-related declines in central-auditory processes and to make recommendations in that 7 regard. Note that this implies an historical narrow structural definition of " central presbycusis " , 8 one focused on modality-specific changes to auditory portions of the central nervous system 9 from above the cochlear nucleus to the auditory cortex. This is in contrast to a broad functional 10 definition of central presbycusis, one that might encompass any age-related changes in the 11 central nervous system beyond the auditory periphery that might impact communication, 12 including cognitive changes. Purpose: This report summarizes the work of the task force and presents its findings.