But I smell and hear well

Scientists have found out how darkness sharpens hearing

RIA NewsA week-long immersion in darkness increases the level of hearing due to changes in the work of brain circuits, scientists from the United States have found, after conducting a series of experiments on mice.

The authors, whose work is published in the journal Neuron, believe that their discovery can help people with hearing impairments.

(Petrus et al., Crossmodal Induction of Thalamocortical Potential Leads to Enhanced Information Processing in the Auditorium Cortex; press release A Short Stay in Darkness May Heal Hearing Woes published on the website of the University of Maryland – VM.)

Researchers from the University of Maryland (University of Maryland) and Johns Hopkins University (Mind/Brain Institute at the Johns Hopkins University) placed one group of laboratory mice in complete darkness for 6-8 days, letting them listen to various sounds and comparing their brain response with indicators in another group of rodents living in a normal light cycle.

It turned out that artificial blindness changes the work of interneuronal connections. The greatest changes occur in the auditory cortex of the brain, where sounds are processed, their tonality and volume are recognized.

The image shows the processes of the neurons of the thalamus (green), which connect it with the neuron of the auditory cortex (red). The cell nuclei are colored blue. Photo: Emily Petrus, Amal Isaiah – VM.

"Our results suggest that the lack of vision allows you to hear quiet sounds and better determine the tonality. If you have ever heard a familiar piece of music against a background of loud noise, you may have noticed that some notes are lost and the melody sounds a little different. Our discovery suggests that "blindness" can "save" these lost notes," the authors say.

Scientists note that hearing acuity remained in the experimental rodents for several weeks after returning to normal lighting conditions, and vision was not affected. The next task of the five–year study is to find a way to preserve these changes for the long term.

"By temporarily blocking vision, we can affect the adult brain to change neural connections for better sound processing. This could be a promising discovery, for example, for patients with cochlear implants, allowing them to restore sound perception," says Hey–Kyoung Lee, associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University Brain Institute.

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