ScienceHealthcare

Media Briefing: Dementia and Brain Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health•Jun 10, 2026

Why It Matters

Understanding and treating modifiable risk factors like hearing loss and sleep disturbances can delay cognitive decline, reducing future healthcare costs and improving quality of life for aging populations.

Key Takeaways

  • •Hearing loss correlates with higher dementia risk, especially in high‑risk groups.
  • •Hearing aid use improves communication, reduces loneliness, but not overall cognition.
  • •Sleep disturbances and apnea increase dementia risk; treatment may mitigate.
  • •Multi‑factor prevention—hearing, sleep, cardiometabolic health—outperforms single‑risk approaches in aging.
  • •Primary care physicians are essential for early detection, counseling, and care coordination.

Summary

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a media briefing focused on dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain health. Moderated by Ellen Wilson, the session featured epidemiologist Jennifer Deal and mental‑health professor Adam Spira, who discussed how sensory and sleep factors intersect with cognitive decline and highlighted emerging prevention strategies. Deal presented evidence that hearing loss is consistently associated with increased dementia risk, noting that the relationship is likely mediated by reduced auditory clarity, social isolation, and direct brain changes. In a three‑year randomized trial, hearing‑aid interventions did not slow overall cognitive decline, but they did improve communication, lessen loneliness, and showed cognitive benefits in participants with multiple risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. Spira explained that fragmented sleep and obstructive sleep apnea are emerging risk factors; animal studies suggest sleep deprivation can trigger Alzheimer‑like pathology, and effective sleep treatments may offer a lever for prevention. Key moments included Deal’s comment that “hearing treatment improved communication for everyone,” and Spira’s observation that “sleep disturbances may be a lever we can manipulate to prevent poor brain health outcomes.” The panel also addressed policy questions, referencing the Lancet Commission’s estimate that correcting hearing loss could prevent about 7% of dementia cases, and discussed preliminary findings that shingles vaccination may lower risk, though evidence remains limited. The briefing underscored that dementia prevention requires a multi‑modal approach—addressing hearing, sleep, cardiovascular health, physical activity, and mental well‑being—rather than a single‑factor solution. Primary‑care clinicians are positioned to screen, counsel, and coordinate care, while policymakers should consider broader public‑health initiatives targeting these modifiable risks.

Original Description

For Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted a media briefing on June 10, 2026, about dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and ways to help protect brain health.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about 7.4 million older adults—about 1 in 9 members of the U.S. population age 65 and older—are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to double by 2060.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, an umbrella term for loss of memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive abilities that interfere with daily life. There are ways to preserve brain health as people age, even once cognition has begun to decline. This includes targeted interventions such as healthy lifestyle habits and prescription drugs that can slow dementia’s progression and ease symptoms.
Topics discussed:
- How Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias unfold over time
- How biomarkers can show up decades before cognitive decline
- Everyday factors that impact brain health, such as sleep, hearing loss, physical activity, stress, social interaction, and more
- Specific interventions, vaccines, and medications that may help slow dementia’s decline
- The latest research on dementia prevention
Insights from:
Jennifer Deal, PhD, MHS, an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and co-director of the Epidemiology Doctoral Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Adam Spira, PhD, MA, a professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and core faculty at the Johns Hopkins Center on Aging and Health.
Resources:
Jennifer Deal
Adam Spira
In Older Adults, Fragmented Circadian Rest-Activity Rhythms Linked to Faster Brain Shrinkage Over Time
Hearing Impairment and Incident Dementia and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: The Health ABC Study
Wrist Device That Monitors Activity Could Help Provide Early Warning of Alzheimer’s
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:42 Hearing loss and dementia
05:22 Sleep and dementia
08:16 Primary care physicians
10:30 Prevention measures
11:16 Sleep and wearable devices
13:00 Alzheimer’s vs dementia
14:55 Vaccines’ effect
18:14 Protecting brain health
19:27 Lupus, MS, and dementia
20:10 Regular memory loss vs dementia
22:16 Maryland’s rate of dementia
23:26 Sleep and good health
25:34 Family history
27:36 Vision and brain health
30:10 Sleep interventions

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