EVANSTOWN, Ill., Aug 21, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. researchers say trained
musicians are better able to discern speech in noisy environments.
The study, published in Ear and Hearing, supports the potential therapeutic and
rehabilitation uses of musical training for those with hearing and communication
disorders.
"The study points to a highly pragmatic side of music's magic," Nina Kraus,
director of the lab at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., says in a
statement.
The researchers asked 31 study participants with normal hearing and a mean age
of 23 -- half with music experience and half without -- to listen to sentences
presented in increasingly noisy conditions and repeat back what they heard.
Better perception in noise was linked with better working memory and tone
discrimination ability. The researchers say the results implied musical training
may reorder brain circuitry so the ability to hear speech in challenging
listening environments becomes enhanced.
The findings strongly support the potential therapeutic and rehabilitation use
of musical training to address auditory processing and communication disorders,
especially in the elderly.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International