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Protect & Improve Your Hearing & Brain Health | Dr. Konstantina Stankovic

Shownote

My guest is Konstantina Stankovic, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology at Stanford School of Medicine. She explains how hearing works and why hearing loss—affecting over 1.5 billion people—impacts people of all ages. We discuss how hearing loss ...

Highlights

Hearing is far more than a passive sense—it's deeply intertwined with brain health, emotional processing, and cognitive function. In this conversation, Dr. Konstantina Stankovic sheds light on the intricate biology of the auditory system, from fetal development to aging, and reveals how modern lifestyles are placing unprecedented stress on our ability to hear.
06:45
The cochlea can detect displacements at the sub-angstrom level.
18:40
Cupping hands around the mouth can amplify sound for better signaling in the wild.
22:59
The brain's auditory pathways are directly linked to emotional centers like the limbic system
30:10
People profoundly deaf for years can experience musical hallucinations that stop after cochlear implant surgery
38:47
Loud sounds can stimulate the vestibular system, affecting balance
39:21
Magnesium threonate may protect against noise-induced hearing loss by crossing the blood-brain barrier
43:44
Magnesium supplementation may benefit migraine sufferers with tinnitus.
50:52
AI increases genetic diagnosis rate for hearing loss from 50% to 80%
1:01:39
Thinking about tinnitus reinforces the neural circuit producing it
1:04:37
If others can hear your headphone audio, it's too loud.
1:09:42
Two subthreshold cochlear insults close in time can cause permanent hearing damage.
1:13:00
The fetus can hear the mother's voice in the second trimester
1:19:24
Sensory-induced damage to the nervous system is as serious as chemical toxicity in water
1:23:30
Unaddressed hearing loss leads to social isolation and cognitive decline
1:27:40
AI-enhanced hearing aids perform real-time auditory scene analysis to separate signal from noise
1:30:13
Some people hear their own voice internally due to a missing bone in the inner ear.
1:36:54
Hair cells in the inner ear detect both sound and motion, revealing deep biological connections.
1:45:31
High-frequency sounds stimulate the basal portion of the cochlea, while low-frequency sounds stimulate the apex.
1:49:53
Many kids with social challenges are overwhelmed by auditory environments.
2:00:03
Regular ibuprofen use increases hearing loss risk, especially in younger people
2:05:08
Micro and nanoplastics are taken up by inner ear hair cells
2:09:50
The absence of primary inner ear cancer may enable safer regenerative treatments.
2:14:45
Musically-trained individuals show better outcomes in auditory processing after cochlear implantation due to enhanced neural plasticity.
2:20:14
AI may drive unprecedented economic growth as technology accelerates.
2:22:21
The auditory system begins developing in utero and profoundly shapes brain function.

Chapters

Konstantina Stankovic
00:00
Hearing Loss, How Hearing Works, Types of Hearing Loss
03:27
Sound Waves, High vs Low Frequency, Communication, Importance of Hearing
10:58
Sponsors: Wealthfront & Our Place
15:26
Sound Projection, Intensity, Speech; Moving Ears; Larger Ears
18:40
Sounds & Emotionality; Tinnitus
22:59
Painful Sounds, Hyperacusis, Phonophobia; Memory, Auditory Hallucinations
26:43
Concerts & Ringing in Ears, Hidden Hearing Loss; Tool: Safe Sound Threshold
32:19
Concerts & Protecting Hearing, Tools: Ear Plugs, Magnesium Threonate
39:15
Magnesium Food Sources & Supplements; Migraines & Tinnitus
43:44
Tinnitus; Hearing Loss, Genetic & Environmental Factors
47:30
Sponsors: AGZ by AG1 & David
53:19
Individualization; Tinnitus Examination & Treatment, Supplementation?
56:04
Headphones, Tough vs Tender Ears, Children, Tool: Safe Sound Levels
1:04:36
Compounded Damage, Concerts & Hearing Loss, Tool: Ear Plugs
1:09:41
Transitioning Environments, Hyperacusis; In-Utero Hearing
1:12:59
Dogs & Sea Animals, Sound Pollution
1:15:56
Hearing Loss, Dementia & Cognitive Decline; Tool: Slow Speech & Face Listener
1:19:54
Sponsor: Joovv
1:26:26
Lip Reading; AI-Enhanced Hearing Aids
1:27:38
Sleep, Tool: Earplugs; Hearing Yourself Speak, Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence
1:30:12
Hearing & Balance, Vibrations; Sound Therapy
1:36:54
Music, Dance, Hearing & Frequency Map; Cochlear Implants
1:42:05
Sponsor: LMNT
1:48:20
Hearing & Social-Cognitive Development, Mental Health; Cochlear Implants
1:49:52
Men vs Women, Estrogen; Hearing Loss, Environment, NSAIDs
1:56:07
Environmental Toxins, Heavy Metals, Plastics; Tool: Heating Plastic
2:01:52
Tool: Avoid Regular NSAIDs Use; Birds & Hair Cell Regeneration; Cancer
2:06:39
Head & Neck, Lymphatic System & Surgery
2:12:05
Adult Auditory Plasticity, Music & Language
2:14:44
Splitting of Senses, Podcasts, AI & Human Progress
2:17:37
Prevent Hearing Loss & Recap
2:22:20
Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
2:25:09

Transcript

Konstantina Stankovic: So now there's mounting evidence for a strong link between hearing loss and dementia. It's not that everyone with hearing loss will develop dementia. However, we are trying to identify who is at risk. Hearing loss is a huge problem. ...