Music May Guard Against Age Related Hearing loss
Learning music may offset some of the effects of ageing and improve the listening ability of older generations, a study has found. Years sp
ent playing a musical instrument "fine tunes" the nervous system, said scientists. As a result auditory memory - the ability to remember what is heard - and to distinguish sounds is improved.
"Lifelong musical training appears to confer advantages in at least two important functions known to decline with age - memory and the ability to hear speech in noise," said researcher Professor Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University in Illinois, US. Previous research has suggested that learning music confers learning advantages on youngsters in the classroom. The scientists carried out tests of memory and speech recognition on 18 musicians and 19 non-musicians aged 45 to 65. All the musicians started learning an instrument at the age of nine or earlier and had continued to play throughout their lives. In the tests they outperformed the non-musician group in auditory memory and sound processing tasks, and were better at detecting speech against background noise. Both groups showed an equal ability in tests of visual memory.
It does not appear that there is evidence that taking up music late in life will help prevent age related hearing loss.
Jun 15, 2011 at 12:17 PM Really interesting article!
Not unrelated, we recently did a post about music and learning entitled:
"Does listening to Mozart really make you smarter - or is everything Gaga?" You can find it here: http://wp.me/p1yDhL-1z
It essentially touches on the "Mozart effect" frenzy of the mid 1990s.
Cheers,
Audicus
Jun 25, 2011 at 10:54 AM Interesting stuff and definitely counter to what you would expect to be the reality.
Great stuff Sergei.
Marcus
Aug 21, 2011 at 9:34 PM Hearing today is all about Technology and the advances seen in recent years. It has been created to house up-to-date discussion on hearing aids. There is a link between the two it could possibly be because of two reasons. One, those who develop hearing loss as they get older tends to be more socially isolated and less active. Two, perhaps "the strain of decoding sounds over the years may overwhelm the brains of people with hearing loss, leaving them more vulnerable to dementia. Thanks for sharing&
Sep 9, 2011 at 12:23 AM There is no known single cause for age-related hearing loss. Most commonly, it is caused by changes in the inner ear that occur as you grow older. However, your genes and loud noises (such as from rock concerts or music headphones) may play a large role.
Nov 21, 2011 at 7:07 AM This is very good article.
Hearing loss is not a problem related to age loss it also depends on inner ability of a person.
Thanks
Dec 17, 2011 at 5:48 AM Hearing tests are done to detect hearing impairment problems and auditory processing disorder. The basic objective of these tests is to check how well your ears are functioning and their capacity to detect different sound levels. Audiometer is used in this test and when audiologist pushes buttons on this device, it produces tones at different frequencies and volume. Hearing loss should be treated at an early stage and there is no better way than diagnosing it as early as possible. In this way, to detect a hearing loss or auditory processing disorder these tests are done.
Mar 28, 2012 at 9:31 AM I would like to know what can be set up in churches for members with hearing loss who are unable to understand the minister during the service even with hearing aides. How expensive is a system like this to set up? What device is available for an individual to purchase expressly for this purpose that is affordable? I am thinking of my mother. She is 104 years old and attends church every Sunday. At home she uses "TV ears" which have proved a godsend- thank you all in advance for your suggestions. Our church has a high ceiling and a sound system yet understanding speech is difficult for some.
Mar 28, 2012 at 3:21 PM Pam,
If your mother has telecoils in her hearing aids then convince the church to inductively loop the church. Parrishners will gladly donate....for normal wood frame church probably $4,000. And loop your rec room or get a cushion loop for her chair....and the sound is magically piped into her hearing aids. For more info see www.hearing loop.org.
Apr 5, 2012 at 5:52 AM It’s great that hearing loop advocacy is spreading! We too are advocates of hearing loops as both my mother and father always have a hard time in public venues. Our goal is to help people hear better…live better. We do this through education, providing products for the hearing impaired.
Oct 15, 2012 at 12:30 PM Wow, this was a really interesting study! It actually really makes me wish that I had learned to play an instrument at a younger age. My dad has been playing the drums since he was a kid, and the results of this study even back up some of the advantages he seems to get from continuing to play.