Why is she hearing music?

August 26, 2005 4:46 AM

My grandmother is 82 years old. She's in great health, physically as well as mentally, is active, nothing is wrong with her memory. She is, however, turning very deaf. Now for a week or so she's been hearing music. She thought it was the neighbours, but when hearing people go into her house they don't hear a thing. She hears (nice) music and can actually recognise some of the tunes (one is "Jealousy", a song she used to sing a lot). Does anyone know what is going on? I live in a different country and my dad, who lives close to her, is going to check things out, but I'd like to know if any of you know anything about this kind of thing.
posted by Skyanth to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

I don't know anything about the causes, but I can tell you it's common. My mother has complained of it for years. My mother-in-law as well. Nothing has been found to diminish it, and my mom, at least, has been to several good audiologists. Your mother is lucky that she likes the playlist; mine complains that some of the music she hears is very boring.
posted by bricoleur at 5:13 AM on August 26, 2005

Apparently many hard-of-hearing people experience Musical Ear Syndrome.
posted by misteraitch at 5:16 AM on August 26, 2005

There is a chapter on this in the Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.
posted by Alison at 5:58 AM on August 26, 2005

...was going to recommend the same book Alison did.
posted by whatzit at 7:03 AM on August 26, 2005

From chapter 15 of the above:

Patients with severe nerve-deafness may have musical 'phantoms'. But in most cases no pathology can be found, and the condition, though a nuisance, is essentially benign.

However, you should take her to a neurologist to be sure it's not something more.
posted by teg at 7:09 AM on August 26, 2005

I don't know if this is related, but I had my eyes swollen shut once (post surgery) for almost 2 weeks. I frequently "saw" different rooms and locations I'd been in while I could see, these instances were extremely real, even to the point of proper shifting of perspective as I looked around.

It could be that with no genuine stimulation, the brain's sensory centers start to "make stuff up" just to keep themselves sharp.
posted by Crosius at 8:07 AM on August 26, 2005

I've seen this in my neurology practice from time to time. It's bafflesome but essentially benign. Oliver Sacks' treatment of it is wonderful, as is everything he writes.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:17 AM on August 26, 2005

Is anything ever done for it ikkyu2 -- drugs ?
posted by peacay at 11:03 AM on August 26, 2005

Not to my knowledge.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:42 PM on August 26, 2005

Sounds like an aural equivalent of Charles Bonnet Syndrome.
posted by kindall at 2:16 PM on August 26, 2005