Hear the footsteps of others, but have you ever heard your footsteps?

If the answer is yes, you should think again, because the chances are high that you have never done it.

We hear the footsteps of others very well, but we don't feel the noise we make ourselves. Remember, if you don't really notice, will you hear your own footsteps, or the sound of chewing your own food?

The experiment has just been carried out by scientists from Duke University (United States) that can partly explain this familiar phenomenon.

We often don't notice our own footsteps.

The experiment was carried out on rats, suggesting that their brains tend to ignore the sound emitted when running on their own.

Specifically, scientists apply "virtual reality auditory systems" to experimental mice. They implanted tiny electrodes into their auditory cortex. This is the brain area that handles audio signals. Then, the mouse was run in the reel. Activities in the brain are observed and recorded.

Scientists then created artificial footsteps. Each step of the mouse will make a "beep" sound as if they are walking on piano keys.

After 2 to 3 days, the mouse has gone a few thousand steps. The team found that their auditory cortex had a gradual decrease in activity.

But when scientists use a new beep instead of the old beep, this cortical region is back.

This means that with sounds that are too familiar, they will ignore it. Similar to footsteps or chewing, because we hear it all the time, the brain has missed it.

And what does this discovery mean?

Thoughts don't have much meaning, but this ability helps them survive better when they can focus on the noises around them.

"The experiment shows that the brain is able to suppress the senses of sound that the brain has predetermined," said neuroscientist Professor Richard Mooney, a member of the research team.

The experiment also shows the connection between the motor cortex and the auditory cortex. Through repetitive activities, the motor cortex produces a synapse (synapse - the contact between two nerve cells) to the auditory cortex. This is our own noise-canceling brain engine.

Cortical regions.

Although recently observed in experimental mice, Mr. Mooney believes that this result will soon be tested in humans."Although people have a more complex evolutionary brain, the link between the motor cortex and the auditory system appears in all mammals," Mooney said.

Not only does this help explain a common phenomenon in life, this work also promises to bring great significance in research and treatment.

The study was published in Nature.