While there's isn't significant evidence in humans to suggest that lower-volume sound like background white noise could bring about these kinds of changes in the central auditory system, Attarha's team cite animal studies that suggest prolonged exposure in animals does affect their brains. While the biological mechanisms behind tinnitus aren't fully understood, scientists are continually finding evidence that the symptoms are tied to measurable changes in various parts of the brain that go beyond simple hearing loss – although tinnitus, especially when it first appears, is often associated with exposure to loud, traumatic noises that damage the eardrum and hearing. In a new review article, Attarha and researchers from the University of California, San Francisco suggest that the background buzz of white noise – which some advocate as a means of lessening the perceived symptoms of tinnitus – could actually be harmful to our central auditory system. "Increasing evidence shows that the brain rewires in a negative manner when it is fed random information, such as white noise." "In the past 50 years, brain scientists have learned a great deal about brain plasticity - how sensory and other inputs change the brain chemically, structurally, and functionally," explains cognitive scientist Mouna Attarha, formerly a PhD student at the University of Iowa, and now a researcher at Posit Science Corporation, which makes brain training software. But according to a new study, that's not all white noise might be doing to your brain. These devices emit a sound like the buzz of old-fashioned TV static, which can mask things like disruptive background noises and the ringing, high-pitched whine caused by tinnitus.
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