Loss of sight can improve hearing
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027679
Nature : Laboratory mice kept in a darkened environment for a week can hear much softer sounds and are better able to determine pitch than those exposed to natural light over the same time period. Such was the finding of Hey-Kyoung Lee of the Johns Hopkins University and coworkers in a recent experiment. In their study , published in Neuron, they describe their work with healthy adult mice. The team implanted electrodes into the animals’ primary auditory cortex and measured their neuronal activity. What they found was that the visually deprived animals showed changes in the strength of their synaptic connections. Although the changes were temporary, the researchers believe their findings could ultimately help in the treatment of hearing loss in humans.
