Latest

hearing

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.

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.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·April 27, 2025·4 min read

Tracing the Origins of Hearing

Researchers have developed a genetic "barcoding" method to trace how stem cells in embryos become neurons and inner ear cells. By labeling early stem cells in mice, the team followed their development and mapped the formation of the inner ear.

This shows the outline of a head and a brain.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·January 14, 2025·4 min read

Brain Merges Sight and Sound to Understand Speech in Noisy Settings

Researchers are investigating how the brain combines visual and auditory cues to improve speech comprehension in noisy environments. The study focuses on how visual information, like lip movements, enhances the brain's ability to differentiate similar sounds, such as "F" and "S."

This shows a head, a brain, neurons, and sound waves.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·January 10, 2025·5 min read

New Neuron Types Discovered in Brainstem’s Sound Processing Center

Researchers have identified and mapped diverse cell types in the cochlear nucleus, the brainstem region responsible for processing sound. Using advanced molecular techniques, they uncovered distinct and newly identified cell types that process specific sound features, such as sharp noises or pitch changes.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·October 6, 2024·3 min read

Hearing Loss Disrupts Speech Coordination

A recent study reveals that hearing plays a vital role in coordinating speech movements. Researchers found that when individuals briefly couldn't hear their own speech, their ability to control their jaw and tongue movements declined.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·July 11, 2024·5 min read

Brain Region Helps Tune Our Hearing to Focus on Important Sounds

A new study uncovers how the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) aids the auditory cortex in adapting to different hearing contexts. Researchers found that the OFC sends signals to the auditory cortex to help switch between passive and active listening. This discovery enhances our understanding of how the brain filters and reacts to sounds, with implications for treating neurodevelopmental disorders. The findings highlight the OFC's crucial role in managing auditory attention.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·June 28, 2024·5 min read

Supranormal Hearing Achieved by Boosting Ear Synapses

Researchers have enhanced auditory processing in young mice by increasing inner ear synapses using neurotrophin-3. This study supports the hypothesis that synapse density impacts hidden hearing loss in humans. The findings could lead to new treatments for hearing disorders by preserving or regenerating synapses. The study reveals that boosting synapses not only improves hearing but also enhances auditory information processing.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·May 7, 2024·6 min read

New Study Redefines Human Sound Localization

Researchers challenged a longstanding theory from the 1940s about how humans locate sounds, a discovery with profound implications for hearing technology. The study reveals that humans utilize a simpler, more energy-efficient neural network for spatial hearing, similar to other mammals like rhesus monkeys and gerbils.

This shows a woman in noise cancelling headphones.

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·July 11, 2023·4 min read

Echoes of Absence: Study Suggests We Can ‘Hear’ Silence

A novel study suggests that silence can indeed be 'heard.' Philosophers and psychologists, using auditory illusions, demonstrated how silence distorts our perception of time, much like sounds do.

This shows an older man with a hearing aid

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·December 24, 2022·5 min read

When Elders Can’t Hear Words at a Noisy Holiday Gathering, Too Many Brain Cells May Be Firing at Once

Older mice were less capable than younger mice at "turning off" certain actively firing neurons when exposed to ambient noise. The result causes a fuzzy soundscape that makes it difficult for the brain to focus on one type of sound and filter out other surrounding sounds.

This shows a person listening to music on headphones

Auditory Neuroscience Featured Neuroscience

·November 15, 2022·2 min read

Over a Billion Young People Are Potentially at Risk of Hearing Loss From Headphones, Earbuds, Loud Music Venues

Researchers say up to 1 billion teens and young adults are at risk of hearing loss as a result of using headphones, earbuds, or attending loud music venues.