Ear to Brain Fitness

Auditory neurons process sounds every millisecond, to keep us safe. This incredibly fast processing is crucial to survival. Biologically, hearing was designed to alert us to danger, to warn us if a hungry lion was entering our cave, a car racing through the crosswalk, or a siren alerting us to fire. Fast sound timing is crucial for safety and speech understanding.

In noisy environments a high rate of sound floods through the ear to the brain. Research shows that the auditory nerve sends sound signals to the brain at a speed of 1000 feet per second (about the height of the Empire State Building). In comparison, the optic nerve sends visual signals at 300 feet per second. Our brains need to receive sound cues quickly, with neural synchrony between the right and left ears to process speech. Each speech sound has precise timing and rhythm. The brain calculates and compares precise timing from the right and left ears to distinguish between speech sounds. Are my friends talking about a “dog” or “frog.”

Science discovered that hearing is the most complex, computational neural activity the brain must do, processing 25 to 30 speech sounds every second. When our brain processes sound faster, it significantly enhances our ability to understand speech, especially in noisy environments. Not just louder, faster.

To send sound to the brain quickly, we are born with 16,000 hearing cells in each ear. These tiny sensory cells live deep inside the inner ear. Their job is to quickly convert mechanical sound waves into electric signals, transfer the signals to the auditory nerves. The nerves in each ear zip the sound signals up to the brain and the brain quickly matches the information from the right and left ears and processes speech in real time.

Trouble happens when hearing cells die. The same amount of sound is rushing into the ear canal but there are fewer hearing cells to transfer the signals to the auditory nerve. Damaged or dead hearing cells means slower, less efficient hearing. Unfortunately, once these cells are damaged, they cannot regenerate. Hearing aids can help make sound louder, but not faster, robbing the brain of important sound cues it needs to make sense out of speech in real time.

Research out of Dr. Nina Kraus’ Brainvolts lab at Northwestern revealed teaching the brain faster sound timing and rhythm can improve speech understanding in noise. According to studies from Dr. Linn at Johns Hopkins, making it easier for the brain to understand speech can reduce the risk for cognitive decline by up to 50%.

Based on innovative neuroscience research our team at DUET Hearing Preservation developed an Ear to Brain Fitness training program with precise biological outcome measures, taught by professional musicians with decades of musical experience, to help the brain understand speech in noise better. Not just louder, faster. Call or visit DUET today to learn more.

DUET Hearing Preservation - (847) 295-1185

Northfield - Lake Forest - Chicago