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safeinOhio

(34,334 posts)
Tue Dec 10, 2019, 05:52 AM Dec 2019

A week in the dark rewires brain cell networks and changes hearing in adult mice

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191204145858.htm

Young brains wire themselves according to the sounds they hear frequently, allocating areas of the auditory cortex for specific frequencies based on what they are used to hearing. The researchers found that, in adult mice, a week in the dark also redistributed the allocation of space to different frequencies. In the areas of the auditory cortex they examined, the researchers saw an increase in the proportion of neurons that were sensitive to high and low frequencies and a decrease in proportion of neurons that were sensitive to mid-range frequencies.
"We don't know why we are seeing these patterns," Kanold said. "We speculate that it may have to do with what the mice are paying attention to while they are in the dark. Maybe they pay attention to the noises or voices from the other mice, or maybe they're paying more attention to the footsteps they are making."

I wonder if just wearing one of those sleeping mask for a week would work?
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