Want a healthier brain? It might be time to take up a sport. At least, that’s what a new study suggests. According to the study, published in the journal Sports Health, elite athletes have less static in their brains, compared to non-athletes, allowing them to hear better.
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In the five-year analysis, researchers examined the neural processing of sound in sports concussions. The study involved 495 student athletes at Northwestern University, and another 493 control students matching in age and gender. Researchers examined participants’ brains by attaching a series of electrodes to their scalp and recording the electricity produced by the brain in response to sound. They hoped the results would help them better determine when an athlete is ready to return to a sport after a concussion, without risking further brain damage.
Study leader Nina Kraus, a neurobiologist at Northwestern University, explained that if your brain was exposed to a sound-rich environment, you’re likely to have less neural static. Those who grew up with limited enrichment, in terms of linguistic and musical stimulation, may have an excessively noisy brain, which can interfere with the brain’s ability to decipher auditory input.
"The brain is hungry for information and it actually creates electrical activity when it doesn't get enough," she explained. "But it creates random and staticky activity, which in the end is more of a problem because it gets in the way of making sense of sound."
When it comes to the brains of athletes versus non-athletes, Kraus said, "Compared to non-athletes, elite athletes can better process external sounds, such as a teammate yelling a play or a coach calling to them from the sidelines, by tamping down background electrical noise in their brain.”
Taking up a sport may not be the only way to improve your brain’s response to sound. Previous studies have shown that learning a second language or playing a musical instrument can also help. But staying active clearly has its benefits. "Physical activity seems to track with a quieter nervous system," Kraus said. "If you have a healthier nervous system and brain, you may be able to better handle injury or other health problems."