What IS IT?
Developing Technologies to PROMOTE BRAIN HEALTH
New scientific discoveries are helping us better understand the way we hear. Research has shown us that the brain needs access to all sounds, not just speech, to function naturally. Recent studies1,2 have used brain imaging techniques to show that sounds are interpreted by two subsystems in the brain: the orient subsystem and the focus subsystem. Together, they allow people to understand and locate all of the sounds around them (orient) and determine which sounds to listen to (focus). However, in order to work this way, our brain needs to receive a good neural code— information transmitted by the auditory nerve in the cochlea (a peripheral hearing organ) to the auditory cortex in the brain. It’s what allows the brain to make sense of what we hear, which in turn lets us recognize and remember sounds more easily. When a person has hearing loss, the neural code starts to break down. As a result, our brain doesn’t process the information as well, since hearing requires more listening effort and mental workload.3
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Neural code: information transmitted by the auditory nerve in the cochlea (a peripheral hearing organ) to the auditory cortex in the brain.
All of this can accelerate cognitive decline, especially our ability to remember, learn, concentrate, and make decisions.4 All of these conclusions have led hearing health professionals to change their views on programming hearing aids. Limiting access to certain sounds, as conventional hearing aids often do, simply isn’t an option. Instead, hearing aids now provide a good neural code. One hearing aids manufacturer has developed a new approach An assessment by to digital sound processing— an audioprosthetist is required to deterone that aims to support the mine which hearing natural hearing process by aid suits the patient’s giving wearers access to the needs. full sound scene. Not only does this approach help people with hearing loss understand the world around them, it also helps preserve their brain function. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your audioprosthetist! Charles-Edouard Basile Business Development Manager
References 1. O’Sullivan, J., Herrero, J., Smith, E., Schevon, C., McKhann, G. M., Sheth, S. A., Mesgarani, N. (2019). Hierarchical Encoding of Attended Auditory Objects in MultiTalker Speech Perception. Neuron, 104(6), 1195-1209. e1193. 2. Puvvada, K. C., & Simon, J. Z. (2017). Cortical Representations of Speech in a Multitalker Auditory Scene. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(38), 9189-9196. 3. Pichora-Fuller, M. K., Kramer, S. E., Eckert, M. A., Edwards, B., Hornsby, B. W., Humes, L. E., Mackersie, C. L. (2016). Hearing Impairment and Cognitive Energy: The Framework for Understanding Effortful Listening (FUEL). Ear and hearing, 37, 5S-27S. 4. Uchida, Y., Sugiura, S., Nishita, Y., Saji, N., Sone, M., & Ueda, H. (2019). AgeRelated Hearing Loss and Cognitive Decline – The Potential Mechanisms Linking the Two. Auris Nasus Larynx, 46(1), 1-9.
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