The brain has the ability to eliminate noise

One of the best features of a pair of modern headphones is the noise canceling technology, which removes ambient noise so you can fully immerse yourself in music. But according to a new study, the brain itself actually has quite a special noise reduction ability.

Research done by Duke University scientists in the United States, published in the journal Nature, proves that even small mice 's brains are capable of surprisingly relevant noise reduction. to a predictive system for hearing feedback, even before noise.

Richard Mooney, a professor of neurology at Duke, said: 'The special thing about this noise elimination process is that the brain has learned to turn off the reaction to predictable noise. The function of turning off these reactions is developed over time and experience ".

The sounds we create are often filtered out so that we can hear more important sounds.

To learn about how this integrated noise management system works , the team built a "virtual reality" system for mice. First, they train mice to be familiar with a specific sound whenever they start moving. The mouse's brain starts to wait for that sound to appear whenever they walk.

Researchers track communication between the area of ​​brain movement and the auditory response area in mice, they found that specific signals were sent to eliminate sound. (created in this test).

When the mouse hears the noise - the familiar sound penetrates its ears - but this sound is ignored by the brain by receiving a filtered signal. The noise has been filtered out ahead of time so that the mouse can hear more important sounds.

Other experiments also show that, not only in mice, similar noise reduction abilities also occur in other animals, including humans. We obviously know this possibility, because we can easily distinguish the sound of our own footsteps from the whole other nearby sounds.

The sounds we create are often filtered out so that we can hear more important sounds, such as sounds that can signal danger. And of course, if this ability is limited to humans, then surely we will encounter many difficulties in natural life that are always surrounded by countless noisy noises.