Is it possible to improve hearing by reducing vision? According to a recent scientific study published in the journal Neuron, being subjected to less sight (like staying in a dark room for a long period of time) can actually help with audio processing in the brain. Patrick Kanold and Hey-Kyoung Lee, two researchers at the University of Maryland, tested their hypothesis by keeping mice in darkness for about a week. The restricted vision led to advancement in the sound processing part of the brain. The mice's neurons, or nerve cells, reacted more strongly to various pitches and volumes played to them after being kept in the dark for so long. This discovery could potentially solve the issue of the dynamic change deaf people experience when receiving cochlear implants. The extreme adjustment is often difficult for the brain to handle, so the transition could be smoother if those people receiving cochlear implants were limited in sight after the surgery.
This sounds a lot like my summary...
ReplyDeleteThis article fascinated me. It is interesting to think that cutting off senses can enhance others. I wonder if this could happen with other senses such as cutting of hearing could maybe help with sight or touch. I do believe that it would be difficult to do studies effectively because each person is different. Further research brought me to discover that experiments have lead researchers to believe that just a week of blindness can help your hearing much more. It is also interesting to think that blind musicians might be so talented because they can hear better. http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/02/05/blindness-hearing-loss
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