On a daily basis, our brain doesn't just hear sounds in a passive way – it anticipates them. To improve our perception of sounds, it rdaws on patterns, like the rhythm of a sentence or a musical melody. But when measuring hearing in clinical conditions using pure-tone audiometry, these predictive measures are not taken into consideration. These tests are believed to accurately reflect the sensitivity of the inner ear without taking central brain processes into account.
In an article published in the journal iScience, scientists from the Hearing Institute demonstrated that the way in which sounds are presented directly influences the levels of detection measured. If sounds are presented with predictable parameters (such as frequency and timing), the participants in the study are better able to detect quieter sounds. This shows that the more a sound is expected, the more it becomes perceptible.
« Current audiometry practices claim to provide an objective measurement of the sensitivity of the inner ear. These results suggest that the predictions made by the brain may influence the result of hearing tests," indicates Keith Doelling, a scientist in the reConnect Institute led by the Hearing Institute, an Institut Pasteur center.
In future, this approach could help us to understand how people with hearing loss use these clues to compensate for their hearing loss and to adapt diagnostic and treatment strategies accordingly.
Marin, N., Gérenton, G., Jean, H., Paraouty, N., Wallaert, N., Lazard, D. S., Doelling, K. B., & Arnal, L. H. (2025). Predictable sequential structure augments auditory sensitivity at threshold. iScience, 28(3), 112074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.112074