People 'hear' flashes due to disinhibited flow of signals around the brain, suggests study

A synaesthesia-like effect in which people 'hear' silent flashes or movement, such as in popular 'noisy GIFs' and memes, could be due to a reduction of inhibition of signals that travel between visual and auditory areas of the brain, according to a new study. It was also found that musicians taking part in the study were significantly more likely to report experiencing visual ear than non-musician participants.

from All Top News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190327112710.htm