The 'Cocktail Party Phenomenon' - how to hear in noisy environments

In the din of a crowded room, properly hearing just one speaker's voice can be challenging.

Research in the March 6 issue of the Cell Press journal Neuron demonstrates how the brain hones in on one speaker to solve this "Cocktail Party Problem."

Researchers discovered that brain waves are shaped so that the brain can selectively track the sound patterns from the speaker of interest and at the same time exclude competing sounds from other speakers.