Temporary changes in brain speed up learning

Tinnitus is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound. It can result from abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period, ear infections and foreign objects in the ear. In a breakthrough, researchers at the University of Texas, Dallas, have found that brain nerve stimulation accelerates learning in lab tests, reports the journal Neuron.

Researchers monitoring brain activity in rats found that brain responses eventually returned to their pre-stimulation state, but the animals could still perform the learned task, according to a Texas statement.

These findings have allowed researchers to better understand how the brain learns and encodes new skills.