Use it or lose it, we are all familiar with this adage. It is true for the body and true for the brain.

Without sufficient sensory stimulation a child’s brain does not develop as it should. Nor does an adult brain maintain full  functionality as a  result of negative plasticity. The auditory system thrives with the right input and suffers if deprived of sound or overstimulated by noise.

A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that declines in hearing ability may accelerate gray mater atrophy in auditory areas of the brain and increase the listening effort necessary for older adults to successfully comprehend speech.

Hearing aids can be an effective intervention. Another approach to  consider is music listening therapy. This is  neuroauditory training to improve sound brain fitness in part by stimulating the frequency bands where the deficits exist with specially modified music.  There has been good success helping people with mild hearing loss through the use of The Listening Program®. In many cases listeners no longer require hearing aids, because they trained their brain to better understand what it hears (auditory processing).

Many audiologists will share that when patients with mild hearing loss wear hearing aids for a period of time that their auditory discrimination improves on tests without the hearing aids. This is due to the brain now being able to perceive the auditory signal through sound amplification. The increased signal is enough to improve brain processing. In my opinion, a course of The Listening Program should be considered prior to using hearing aids in cases of mild hearing loss, and definitely needs to be used along with hearing aids. This is something proactive that can be done to stimulate the brain so people can continue to enjoy the richness that exists within the sounds of our loved ones voices, music, and nature.

Read more about this study published in the Journal of Neuroscience here.

A couple days ago I posted an article Ouch That Hurts about an auditory condition called misophonia in which annoying sounds can cause major rage. This morning The Today Show did a segment on this topic that you can view here.

Most of the research into the cause of this and related disorders appears to be focused on auditory mechanisms.  However, Advanced Brain Technologies Scientific Advisory Board Member and audiologist Dr. Jay Lucker of Howard University has been researching strong behavioral reactions to sound in children and suggests it is the emotional reactions must be dealt with. This was his response to a question we posed on the Healing at the Speed of Sound Facebook page.

“I am in the process of revising a manuscript for publication on loud and annoying sounds in children. Findings revealed that this is NOT an auditory based problem in the overwhelming number of children seen in this study. The major problem is our negative emotional reactions to loud and annoying sounds. We must deal with the emotional reactions more so than the auditory based issues for most of our children with sound tolerance problems.”

Ouch! Do You Ever Find Sounds Annoying or Uncomfortable? What Are They? Post your response here.

Several months back a good friend Vera Brandes who is the head of music medicine research at Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg sent me a link to an event happening at the university in our home town of Ogden, Utah. The event- The Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine Inaugural Music  & Medicine Symposium.  I had heard nothing of the young organization or the event about to take place in my own backyard. I was embarrassed a friend in Austria had to bring it to my attention. It was hard to believe such an important event was being held in our field of music effects research, in Ogden, and we knew nothing of it!  

So…Once I got the news I contacted the organizer Dr. David Akombo, co-founder of the organization and Assistant Professor of Music at Weber State University. We arranged a meeting, and quickly found many synergies. In short order ABT became the main sponsor and David and I went to work to expand the one day symposium to a full week of events with a partnership between Advanced Brain Technologies, Weber State University and The Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine.

A Week of Sound, Music and the Brain is Five Powerful Events in ONE!

June 2-6, 2011 some of the world leaders in music medicine research will gather in Ogden, Utah along with students, musicians, educators, healthcare providers, and others interested in music and the brain.

Event highlights:

June 2- Healing at the Speed of Sound™ Workshop. A Day with Don Campbell and myself, ABT Provider Forum, and ABT Open House.

June 3- ISQRMM Inaugural Music & Medicine Symposium. Keynote address by Mark Jude Tramo of  The Institute for Music & Brain Science, research papers presented by investigators from across the world, live music performances, and a workshop I will lead on music listening therapy.

June 4-6- TLP Provider Certification Course for healthcare, education and music professionals to certify to offer The Listening Program® and other ABT solutions to their clients and students.

This is going to be a life changing week for those who attend.

I hope you will join us and help spread the word! Please visit the event website to register online and learn more.

Save 35% on BrainBuilder by entering offer code; BAW at checkout. Your brain deserves this…

Brain Awareness Week was founded and is coordinated by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and European Dana Alliance for the Brain.

The new book Power Up Your Brain: The Neuroscience of Enlightenment by David Perlmutter,M.D., F.A.C.N. and Alberto Villando, Ph.D. was released today.

I have known David for a number of years, as a Scientific Advisor to my company and as the neurologist I refer people to when they show signs of or have a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s. His previous books The Better Brain Book, and How to Raise a Smarter Child by Kindergarten are high on my list of recommended reading for those interested in matters of the brain. I am confident Power Up Your Brain will be added to the list!

From the author’s website- The quest for enlightenment has occupied mankind for millennia. And from the depictions we’ve seen-monks sitting on meditation cushions, nuns kneeling in prayer, shamans communing with the universe-it seems that this elusive state is reserved for a chosen few. But now, neuroscientist David Perlmutter and medical anthropologist and shaman Alberto Villoldo have come together to explore the commonalities between their specialties with the aim of making enlightenment possible for anyone. Joining the long-separated worlds of science and spirit, Perlmutter explores the exciting phenomena of neurogenesis and mitochondrial health, while Villoldo brings his vast knowledge of shamanic and spiritual practices to the table. Together they draw from the most powerful tools in each discipline to create the Power Up Your Brain program, a ground-breaking, five-week plan that helps prime the brain for enlightenment. With nutritional advice, dietary supplements, physical exercise, shamanic practices, meditation, and visualizations, Perlmutter and Villoldo guide readers, step by step, through a program to help them clear their minds from previous trauma and open themselves up to experience the inner peace, vast insight, and extraordinary creativity that define the experience of enlightenment, paving the way to successfully face the challenges to come.

Order your copy and please let me know what you think! We are also giving away a free signed copy of the book on the Advanced Brain Technologies Facebook page. Like us and you’ll automatically be entered for the drawing!

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Patient Recruitment Announcement at NIH:

Identification of Characteristics Associated with Symptom Remission in Autism

We are recruiting children and adolescents (ages 7-17) who, since being diagnosed with autism, have made significant improvements such that they no longer meet criteria for a diagnosis of autism.  We are also recruiting children who continue to meet criteria for autism, as well as typically developing children.  Our goal is to better understand how children who make remarkable improvement may differ from children who continue to meet criteria for autism.

The study involves several inpatient and outpatient visits to Bethesda, MD, that may occur over a few days or several weeks, depending on what works best for the child and his or her parents.  The study involves an autism diagnostic evaluation as well as a thorough neuropsychological and medical evaluation.  A summary of all clinically relevant study findings including results of the neuropsychological exam will be provided. There is no cost to participate and children are compensated for their time.  Travel assistance and lodging may be provided.

For further information please call the study coordinator at 301-435-7962 (TTY 866-411-1010) or email autismoutcomestudy@mail.nih.gov

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This study announcement is from the NIH Patient Recruitment web site:

Visit the NIH Patient Recruitment home page at http://patientinfo.nimh.nih.gov/

If you are constantly telling your teenager to turn down the volume it is with good reason. A new study published in the current issue of  The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that hearing loss among teens is on the rise.

The study conducted by Joseph Shargorodsky, MD, MPH and colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston concludes the prevalence of hearing loss among a sample of US adolescents aged 12 -19 was greater in 2005-2006 compared with 1998-2004.

These findings come as no great surprise given Generation Z has had lifetime use of MP3 player, iPods, video games, mobile phones, and live on an increasingly noisy planet. When kids are constantly plugged in they overload their auditory system, which loses its protective mechanism with sustained exposure to loud sound levels over 85dB.

What is most alarming is the estimate that about 1-5 adolescents in America show evidence of hearing loss.  Unless our kids are educated about the risks of exposure to dangerous sound levels and their use of headphones is monitored, I fear this trend will only increase.

Hearing loss makes it difficult to listen in the classroom, follow directions, and learn. Coupled with hearing loss are auditory processing problems making it difficult for the brain to understand what it does hear, further compounding problems with learning, attention and communication. Hearing loss is not reversible, but can be treated with hearing aids. Auditory processing can be improved with targeted neuroauditory training.

Five Suggestions to Help Prevent Teen Hearing Loss

1) Limit headphone use to durations of no longer than 30 minutes to one hour at a time.

2) Set the volume limit on their iPod to about 80% of max volume.

3) Avoid use of ear buds (headphones inserted in the ear canal). Instead use headphones that cover the ears.

4) Use ear plugs in noisy environments, foam or wax plugs inserted properly can reduce volume up to 29dB.

5) Show them the study and ask them if they want to wear hearing aids to their senior prom!

Read the Abstract

View Video

If you are concerned your child may have a hearing loss visit the web site for the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association to find a qualified audiologist who can test your child’s hearing. To learn about The Listening Program® a home-based method for targeted neuroauditory training contact Advanced Brain Technologies 1.888.228.1798 for a complimentary consultation.

A recent study looked at piano player’s ability to sight read a new piece of music. It was published in journal Psychological Science and demonstrated that while practice, practice, practice, leads to great musical performance, that working memory capacity, plays an important role in the level of performance that can ultimately be achieved.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Outliers he shares the body of research that shows regardless of the skill or activity,  that over 10,000 hours of consistent practice is required to achieve an expert level of proficiency. Incidentally, Mozart is one of the musical geniuses highlighted in this fascinating discussion. While practice makes perfect, cognitive function must be at a sufficient level to engage and excel at the task, as in the example of the pianist.  With that said, cognitive function, working memory in this case is not something which is fixed. What your capacity is today, can be increased, dramatically, to help you excel in all areas of life, including musical performance.

Working memory is of great interest to me, largely because it is becoming increasingly recognized as one of the fundamental cognitive abilities that is key to unlocking our full potential. This is not new information. This is a discovery my father made some 35 years ago, and has fervently pursued since, developing methods to expand working memory and sequential processing ability. Work that I have continued at Advanced Brain Technologies through our BrainBuilder® neurosoftware program which assesses and trains these abilities.

I am pleased to see the research community taking such interest in working memory and look forward to seeing more studies linking cognitive function to musical ability in the future. For you musicians perhaps you may consider some targeted working memory training to accompany your practice and advance your performance to an entirely new level!

Read more about the research linking working memory to musical performance.

Children listened to 30 minutes of music a day through a special audio system which provided the music through both auditory pathways, air and bone conduction. The outcomes are positive and have been presented at European conferences. We now await approval for a large scale clinical trial to confirm these results in a larger sample size.

Continence problems severely impact quality of life, self esteem, and have large costs associated with supporting these children as they enter school. Our protocol holds promise to help children with toilet training problems, reduce costs of services to them, and help them live a happier more fulfilling life.

Note that the program name in the article is incorrect. What is referenced as the Listening Project is supposed to be The Listening Program® developed by Advanced Brain Technologies in Ogden, Utah.

Read the full article

UPDATE: Thank you to the staff at the Liverpool Echo for making the correction to the program name!

I just came across this article in ScienceDaily and wanted to share it. Unfortunately I cannot elaborate in this post, but I am encouraged to see the research interest in exploring the role of the central auditory pathway in tinnitus.

Read the article here http://bit.ly/cJ8L0m