Dr. Konstantina Stankovic

And these auditory pathways have very strong links with emotional pathways and the limbic system.

And in fact, that's why music, hearing music, can really move us.

That's why remarkable speeches of impressive leaders can get people aroused and motivated to do something.

So that link between hearing and emotion is really strong, well-established, and sometimes can be detrimental, for example, for people with tinnitus.

So tinnitus, it's a phantom sound.

It's produced by the brain, typically in response to reduced input to the brain.

So the brain makes up the sound that it's normally not detecting.

It's similar to phantom limb pain where people don't have an arm or a leg, but they can still perceive pain in the limb that they don't have.

So now some people with tinnitus can just put it in the background.

They can ignore it.

They are reassured by knowing that it's not life-threatening and it's fine.

But there are people who can't handle it.

They are really severely disabled by it.

And some are suicidal, which is a huge spectrum.

And why is that?

So clearly, these circuits in the brain are differently connected for different people.

And in some, that emotional component is really amplified.

There is this phenomenon of hyperacusis or even phonophobia.

And when it comes to hyperacusis, it frequently accompanies hearing loss.

And really what happens in people with hearing loss is that sounds have to be loud enough for them to hear them, but if they are too loud, that can be painful, very uncomfortable.