Train Your Brain to Hear Better in Noise

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Individuals who struggle or know someone who struggles to hear in group situations or noisy environments are invited to attend a lecture titled "Training Your Brain to Hear Better" Tuesday, March 23, at Northwestern University.

Free and open to the public, the hour-long lecture will take place at 4:30 p.m. and will be repeated at 6 p.m. in the Frances Searle Building, 2240 Campus Drive, on Northwestern's Evanston campus. It is a presentation of the Northwestern University Audiology Clinic and the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory.

Difficulties with communication can result in frustration, social isolations, depression and loss of self-esteem. Nina Kraus, the Hugh Knowles Professor of Neurobiology, Physiology and Communication Sciences, and her laboratory staff will talk about recent research suggesting that auditory training helps individuals with difficulties hearing in group situations or noisy environments.

"Our research indicates that individuals who struggle with hearing in group conversations or in noisy environments may not just suffer from peripheral hearing loss," said Kraus, director of Northwestern's Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory and founder of the Listening and Learning Clinic. "They also may suffer from auditory processing problems, which may be improved by auditory training."

Kraus and her staff will discuss the benefits of auditory training on hearing amid background noise, working memory and processing speed. Because seating is limited, interested individuals are encouraged to reserve a space by calling (847) 491-3165. Visit http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/clinics/listening_learning/ for more information.

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