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auditory neuroscience

This shows a woman holding her head in pain.

·July 20, 2025·5 min read

How Stress Sounds Amplify Pain and Inflammation

Pain isn’t just physical—it can be socially and emotionally transmitted. New research shows that ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by mice in pain trigger hyperalgesia in nearby mice, even without direct injury.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·July 17, 2025·6 min read

Judging Music: Do We Trust Our Eyes More Than Our Ears?

A new study reveals that the “sight-over-sound” effect—where visual cues outweigh audio in judging music—depends heavily on the listener’s musical background. In experiments with Japanese brass band performances, general musicians relied more on visuals, while brass band specialists judged more accurately by sound alone.

This shows an older man playing piano and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 15, 2025·5 min read

Playing Music Helps Older Brains Stay Sharp

Long-term musical training may help older adults maintain youthful brain patterns and better speech perception in noisy environments, according to new research. Scientists found that older musicians showed more efficient brain connectivity and better performance than non-musicians of the same age.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·July 3, 2025·5 min read

Gene Therapy Restores Hearing in Those with Deafness

A new study shows that gene therapy can significantly improve hearing in both children and adults with congenital deafness caused by mutations in the OTOF gene. The therapy uses a synthetic virus to deliver a healthy copy of the gene directly to the inner ear, with hearing improvements observed in all ten participants within one month.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·June 9, 2025·4 min read

Why Some People Hear Better in Noise Than Others

A large-scale international study has confirmed that the ability to detect background sounds varies significantly from person to person and depends on the preceding noise. By replicating a 10-year-old study with 149 participants across 25 labs in 10 countries, researchers found consistent results supporting the original findings.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 2, 2025·4 min read

How Rhythm Rewires the Brain Moment by Moment

When you listen to a steady rhythm, your brain doesn’t just process it—it reconfigures itself in real time. A new study introduces FREQ-NESS, an advanced neuroimaging method that reveals how different frequencies of brainwaves form dynamic networks across the brain.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·May 19, 2025·3 min read

When Sight Meets Sound: How the Brain Binds Audiovisual Memories

Our brains don’t just remember what we see and hear, they fuse the two into cohesive memories. A new study reveals that when visual and auditory speech cues are synchronized, they trigger rhythmic brain activity that strengthens memory formation.

This shows an older woman sitting alone.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2025·4 min read

Loneliness Linked to 24% Higher Risk of Hearing Loss

A new study tracking nearly half a million participants over 12 years has revealed a strong, independent link between loneliness and an increased risk of hearing loss. Even after adjusting for genetic risk, health conditions, and lifestyle factors, lonely individuals had a 24% higher chance of developing hearing loss, especially sensorineural types.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·May 13, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Links Sound to Meaning

A new study has mapped how the brain retrieves words during speech, identifying two distinct but overlapping networks in the prefrontal cortex. Researchers used high-resolution electrocorticography in 48 patients to reveal that semantic processing and articulatory planning occur in neighboring yet functionally distinct regions.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 13, 2025·8 min read

Can Hearing Aids Ease Loneliness? New Study Says Yes

A new study shows that providing hearing aids and personalized audiology care helps older adults maintain social connections, reducing feelings of loneliness over time. Participants who received hearing interventions retained more diverse and meaningful relationships than those given only general healthy aging guidance.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 8, 2025·4 min read

How Surprises Trigger Prediction Errors in the Brain

Our brains constantly predict sensory input, and mismatches between expectation and reality trigger prediction error signals. While past research focused on vision, new experiments show that the auditory cortex also produces strong signals when expected sounds are absent.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·May 7, 2025·5 min read

Why Noisy Rooms Are Harder for Some Brains to Handle

New research reveals that the insula, a key brain region, shows altered connectivity in people who struggle to understand speech in noisy environments. Using resting-state MRI, scientists found that the left insula works harder even when the brain is not actively processing sound, suggesting a permanent rewiring linked to hearing difficulties.