Saturday 8 February 2014

Darkness sharpens hearing in adult mice

Rapid brain-cell changes in animals kept in the dark give them better discrimination of sounds.

Could being visually impaired have had a role in the musical genius of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles? A study provides some clues by showing that adult mice kept in the dark quickly develop sharper hearing and become better at distinguishing pitch and frequency. The improvements were correlated with adaptations in the brain — such as strengthening of connections between neurons — that normally happen only early in life.

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