How Neurons Have Meta Adapted to Cope With Our Rowdy World

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http://neurosciencenews.com/meta-adaption-neurons-noise-5601/

This study, performed at Macquarie University, found that auditory neurons are able to speed up their adaption in noisy environments in which they are familiar with. These researchers performed a study with guinea pigs in which they tested their neural responses to either loud or quiet unfolding soundscapes. In doing this, they realized that part of their brain, existing between the midbrain and the auditory cortex, contained a feedback loop. This loop retained the information it learned about how each environment sounded, allowing the auditory neurons to meta-adapt.

This article relates to what we have learned in class in that we spent a lot of time learning about the auditory cortex, and the process involved in hearing. It is interesting to read about a newly discovered loop function between two regions of the brain.

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