What is amusia and how does it affect those who suffer from it?

Amusia, also known as tone deafness, is a condition that prevents people from processing music normally , often affecting the perception of melodies, rhythms, and harmonies.

According to the National Library of Medicine of the United States, this condition can occur congenitally , that is, from the moment a baby is born, and last for the rest of the baby's life.

However, it can also occur as a result of a neurological disorder, leading to its classification as acquired amusia, which occurs after suffering brain damage.

However, this condition is not related to any type of ear problem, meaning any link to hearing impairment has been ruled out.

For its part, the University of Navarra Clinic in Spain points out that this condition should not be confused with other illnesses, because people with this disorder can hear sounds and voices, but cannot identify if something is out of tune or in a different tone.

Furthermore, it is important to highlight that this is not a general cognitive deficit, since according to a study published in the scientific journal 'Journal of Applied Genetics' (JAG), this condition is caused by a functional disconnection between certain brain regions.

Amusia, whether congenital or acquired, significantly affects the ability to perceive, process, and produce music, leading to confusion when listening to music.

Although it occurs in a small percentage of the population, health professionals consider it important to learn to identify the symptoms and early signs in order to seek help.

Among the most common signs are difficulty recognizing songs, inability to remember or distinguish tones from one another, singing off-key without realizing it, and feeling like you're hearing noise instead of music.

To date, some scientific studies have shown that this disorder has no known cure, but there are some strategies to improve people's hearing perception and quality of life.

DIGITAL REACH EDITORIAL