{
  "id": 18318470,
  "title": "Why do blind people and musicians hear pitch better? New research suggests they have less internal noise",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/why-do-blind-people-and-musicians-hear-pitch-better-new-research",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-05T13:17:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/why-do-blind-people-and-musicians-hear-pitch-better-new-research-suggests-they-have-less-internal-noise-294114"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "People who were blind since childhood often exhibit exceptional hearing abilities, according to new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. This heightened sense of hearing arises from their auditory systems' consistent and reliable sound processing, which sets them apart from those who are not blind. Interestingly, sighted musicians also show enhanced hearing through a similar mechanism. Hearing involves several stages, including sound detection and the brain's interpretation of auditory information. Consistency in how the auditory system responds to the same sound over time is crucial, as reduced \"internal noise\" allows for more reliable sound differentiation.\n\nTo investigate this phenomenon, researchers studied nine individuals who became blind before the age of 2 and 18 sighted individuals with varying musical backgrounds. Both groups underwent two hearing tasks: one involved detecting a tone amid background noise to assess cochlear frequency processing, and the other required judging which of two tones had a higher pitch, which also relies on sound interpretation by the brain.\n\nThe findings revealed that individuals with early-life blindness performed better in the pitch discrimination task compared to sighted participants. This suggests that their improved hearing abilities stem from changes in brain processing rather than ear detection. A mathematical model used to understand the differences showed that reduced internal noise in the brain's auditory processing led to the enhanced pitch discrimination. Notably, musical training in sighted individuals also reduced internal noise, resulting in more consistent sound processing.\n\nThe study highlights internal noise as a key factor in brain plasticity, enabling people to adapt to new sensory experiences, such as learning to read or identify bird species. Sensory experiences, like being blind or a musician, might help create and fine-tune perceptual templates for hearing. Researchers are now exploring whether targeted training can leverage the brain's adaptability to improve perceptual abilities, such as helping people who are losing vision rely more on other senses. However, further investigation is needed to determine the optimal training duration and specific auditory experiences that yield significant brain changes. Additionally, the extent to which brain plasticity varies based on when vision is lost or musical training begins remains unclear. Future research aims to explore the limits of adult brain plasticity and the potential for reopening it, as well as its role in everyday complex listening.",
  "summary": "The brain’s ability to process sound more consistently may influence how well you’re able to discriminate between different sounds.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}