Ruth Litovsky, Ph.D.
Academic Associate Dean, College of Letters and Sciences
Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Oros Family Chair, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Professor with Joint appointment in Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology Program Faculty, Neuroscience Training Program
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Successful Pathways to Outcomes in Cochlear Implantation
Humans function best in their auditory environment when they successfully hear speech in noise, locate sound sources, and can engage neural mechanisms that reduce cognitive load demands. Individuals who are deaf and use cochlear implants are challenged by having limited access to acoustic cues, but they also benefit from access to sound in both ears, i.e., bilateral hearing. While bilateral hearing promotes benefit over one-ear (unilateral) hearing, there are many limitations that need to be addressed in order to promote greater success with cochlear implants. Many factors play a role in determining success for cochlear implant users, including neural health along the cochleae, how well patients integrate information across the two ears, neural plasticity, and recovery from auditory deprivation. Our studies use an array of methods to investigate these factors. This presentation will introduce results from studies on spatial hearing abilities, and the impact of using reverse engineering to design novel signal coding strategies for improving outcomes; studies on pupil dilation as an assay for cognitive load in noisy environments and the cost of integrating information from two ears; and eye gaze as measures of decision-making.