During deep sleep, the presence of an unfamiliar voice elicits more K-complexes, a type of brain wave linked to sensory perturbances during sleep, compared to the sound of a familiar voice.
Natural soundscapes have shaped our sense of hearing, optimizing it for the kinds of sounds we encounter most often.
Study reveals how the brain is able to focus its attention on a single speaker in a crowded, noisy environment.
The noise of traffic and wind farms has an impact on sleep, researchers report. The study revealed the effects of the noise were brief, and most study participants' brain waves returned to baseline sleep activity within thirty seconds of the noises being introduced.
The sound of speech elicits similar neural responses and stimulates the same brain regions in humans, guinea pigs, and macaque monkeys.
Early exposure to language, whether it's vocalized or sign language, assists with normal brain development in children, researchers report.
Matching the location of a face to the speech sounds a person is producing significantly increases our ability to understand them, especially in noisy environments.
Psilocybin, a natural psychoactive compound currently being considered for the treatment of depression, alters people's emotional states while listening to music. While listening to music, those who used psilocybin reported enhanced emotional processing. Researchers say combining music with psychedelic therapy may have positive benefits for those suffering from depression.
Researchers have created an atlas representing changes in the levels of RNA made in different cell types in the ear following noise-induced hearing loss. They also discovered certain FDA-approved medications for diabetes and other disorders may protect against noise-related hearing loss.
Researchers shed light on how the brain responds to unexpected sounds.
Study explores the interactions between articulatory precision and gender to gauge vocal attractiveness.
Frequency follow response (FFR) is a strong predictor of a person's ability to recognize and name musical notes, and may be an accurate metric for understanding a person's ability to recognize sounds. FFR may not be a fixed trait and can be improved over time.
