Research

Summaries of NIH Grants

We are investigating the maturation of the human central auditory pathways in normal hearing children and in children with hearing impairment, with a view of better understanding the effects of sensory deprivation on central auditory development.

The primary research focus in our laboratory is to investigate the effects of auditory deprivation on the development, deterioration, and plasticity of the human central auditory system. To this end, we are examining cortical auditory evoked potentials in normal-hearing children, congenitally deaf children who wear cochlear implants, children with auditory neuropathy, and children and adults with hearing impairment. Our goal is to estimate the time interval over which the human auditory system remains relatively non-degenerate and/or highly plastic in the presence of auditory deprivation. Knowledge of this time course of deprivation may enable us to determine the best time to place a cochlear implant into a deaf child.

Current Research Projects
We are currently investigating the following topics in our laboratory:

Central auditory system development and plasticity in children with cochlear implants
Assessment of central auditory system development in children with hearing impairment
Facilitation and limitations of cortical plasticity of the auditory pathways after cochlear implantation
Developmental changes in refractoriness of the cortical auditory evoked potential
Cross-modal plasticity in pre-lingually hearing impaired children

Additional Research Projects
In addition to our primary work, we are investigating the following topics:

Neurophysiologic correlates of speech perception in normal hearing and clinical populations
Techniques for removal of cochlear implant stimulus artifact from evoked potential recordings