Sudden, traumatizing sounds can form lasting memories in the brain’s “flight or fight” region.
Researchers were able to heighten and improve hearing in rats by stimulating the brain region, known as the locus coeruleus.
“Our study gives us deeper insight into the functions of the locus coeruleus as a powerful amplifier in the brain, controlling how and where the brain stores and transforms sudden, traumatizing sounds and events into memories,” said senior study investigator and neuroscientist Robert C. Froemke, an assistant professor at NYU Langone Medical Center.
