Ruth Litovsky, PhD
Oros Family Chair & Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders and Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology
Biography
PhD, University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Academic Associate Dean, Natural / Biological / Mathematical Sciences College of Letters & Science
Oros Family Chair, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Professor, Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
Professor with Joint appointment in Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
Program Faculty, Neuroscience Training Program
Contact Information
521 Waisman Center
1500 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53705
608-262-5045
litovsky@waisman.wisc.edu
Lab Website: Binaural Hearing and Speech Lab
Complete CV (PDF)
Research Statement
The research in my lab focuses on the ability of humans to function in complex auditory environments. Humans are typically faced with the challenge of interpreting sounds as they reach the ears, learning to ignore echoes and other irrelevant, distracting signals. Some common examples are classrooms, restaurants, playgrounds and “cocktail parties”. In order to understand how the brain determines the location and the content of important sounds we study hearing in adults and in children with normal hearing, as well as individuals with impaired hearing. In particular, we focus on a unique population of people who are deaf and use cochlear implants. Our interest in is the potential benefits that arise when bilateral cochlear implants are provided.
Download a longer overview of my lab’s research interests, including funding sources, by clicking here.
Selected Publications
Shah, L., Zhou, X., DiPiero, M. A., Weaver, J. M., Frye, C., Kecskemeti, S. R., Litovsky, R. Y., Alexander, A. L., Planalp, E. M., & Dean, D. C., 3rd (2025). Neural Correlates of Inhibitory Control in Children: Evidence Using MRI and fNIRS. Brain topography, 38(5), 54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-025-01129-8
Suveg, L., Thakkar, T., Burg, E., Godar, S. P., Lee, D., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2025). The Relationship Between Spatial Release From Masking and Listening Effort Among Cochlear Implant Users With Single-Sided Deafness. Ear and hearing, 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001611. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001611
Borjigin, A., Dennison, S. R., Thakkar, T., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2024). Best Cochlear Locations for Delivering Interaural Timing Cues in Electric Hearing. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2024.12.27.627652. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.27.627652
Sobczak, G. G., Zhou, X., Moore, L. E., Bolt, D. M., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2024). Cortical mechanisms of across-ear speech integration investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). PloS one, 19(9), e0307158. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307158
Anshu, K., Kristensen, K., Godar, S. P., Zhou, X., Hartley, S. L., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2024). Speech Recognition and Spatial Hearing in Young Adults With Down Syndrome: Relationships With Hearing Thresholds and Auditory Working Memory. Ear and hearing, 45(6), 1568–1584. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001549
Dennison, S. R., Thakkar, T., Kan, A., Svirsky, M. A., Azadpour, M., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2024). A Mixed-Rate Strategy on a Bilaterally-Synchronized Cochlear Implant Processor Offering the Opportunity to Provide Both Speech Understanding and Interaural Time Difference Cues. Journal of clinical medicine, 13(7), 1917. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13071917
Hartman, J., Saffran, J., & Litovsky, R. (2024). Word Learning in Deaf Adults Who Use Cochlear Implants: The Role of Talker Variability and Attention to the Mouth. Ear and hearing, 45(2), 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001432
Peng, Z. E., Burg, E. A., Thakkar, T., Godar, S. P., Anderson, S. R., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2023). Web-based psychoacoustics of binaural hearing: Two validation experiments. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 154(2), 751–762. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0020567
Dennison, S. R., Thakkar, T., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2023). Lateralization of binaural envelope cues measured with a mobile cochlear-implant research processora. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153(6), 3543–3558. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0019879
Thakkar, T., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2023). Lateralization of interaural time differences with mixed rates of stimulation in bilateral cochlear implant listeners. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 153(3), 1912. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0017603
Peng, Z. E., Garcia, A., Godar, S. P., Holt, J. R., Lee, D. J., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2023). Hearing preservation and spatial hearing outcomes after cochlear implantation in children with TMPRSS3 mutations. Otology and Neurotology, 44(1), 21–25. https://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000003747
Burg, E. A., Thakkar, T. D., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Interaural speech asymmetry predicts bilateral speech intelligibility but not listening effort in adults with bilateral cochlear implants. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 1038856. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.1038856
Anderson, S. R., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Asymmetric temporal envelope sensitivity: Within- and across-ear envelope comparisons in listeners with bilateral cochlear implants. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 152(6), 3294. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0016365
Dennison, S. R., Jones, H. G., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). The impact of synchronized cochlear implant sampling and stimulation on free-field spatial hearing outcomes: Comparing the ciPDA research processor to clinical processors. Ear and Hearing, 43(4), 1262–1272. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001179
Zhou, X., Sobczak, G. S., McKay, C. M., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Effects of degraded speech processing and binaural unmasking investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). PloS one, 17(4), e0267588. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267588
Baumer, N. T., Becker, M. L., Capone, G. T., Egan, K., Fortea, J., Handen, B. L., Head, E., Hendrix, J. E., Litovsky, R. Y., Strydom, A., Tapia, I. E., & Rafii, M. S. (2022). Conducting clinical trials in persons with Down syndrome: summary from the NIH INCLUDE Down syndrome clinical trials readiness working group. Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 14(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-022-09435-z
Anderson, S. R., Jocewicz, R., Kan, A., Zhu, J., Tzeng, S., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Sound source localization patterns and bilateral cochlear implants: Age at onset of deafness effects. PloS one, 17(2), e0263516. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263516
Kristensen, K., Lorenz, K. M., Zhou, X., Piro-Gambetti, B., Hartley, S. L., Godar, S. P., Diel, S., Neubauer, E., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Language and executive functioning in young adults with Down syndrome. Journal of intellectual disability research: JIDR, 66(1-2), 151–161. DOI: 10.1111/jir.12868
Peng, Z. E., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2022). Novel Approaches to Measure Spatial Release From Masking in Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Novel Approaches to Measure Spatial Release From Masking in Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Ear and hearing, 43(1), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001080
Zhou, X., Planalp, E. M., Heinrich, L., Pletcher, C., DiPiero, M., Alexander, A. L., Litovsky, R. Y., & Dean, D. C., 3rd (2022). Inhibitory Control in Children 4-10 Years of Age: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Task-Based Observations. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 15, 798358. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.798358
Warnecke, M., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2021). Signal envelope and speech intelligibility differentially impact auditory motion perception. Scientific reports, 11(1), 15117. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-94662-y
Burg, E. A., Thakkar, T., Fields, T., Misurelli, S. M., Kuchinsky, S. E., Roche, J., Lee, D. J., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2021). Systematic Comparison of Trial Exclusion Criteria for Pupillometry Data Analysis in Individuals With Single-Sided Deafness and Normal Hearing. Trends in hearing, 25, 23312165211013256. https://doi.org/10.1177/23312165211013256
Zhou, X., Sobczak, G., McKay, C. M., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2020). Comparing fNIRS signal qualities between approaches with and without short channels. PloS one, 15(12), e0244186. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244186
Goupell, M. J., Draves, G. T., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2020). Recognition of vocoded words and sentences in quiet and multi-talker babble with children and adults. PloS one, 15(12), e0244632. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0244632
Warnecke, M., Peng, Z. E., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2020). The impact of temporal fine structure and signal envelope on auditory motion perception. PloS one, 15(8), e0238125. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238125
Peng, Z. E., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2020). Development of Binaural Sensitivity: Eye Gaze as a Measure of Real-time Processing. Frontiers in systems neuroscience, 14, 39. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00039
Thakkar, T., Anderson, S. R., Kan, A., & Litovsky, R. Y. (2020). Evaluating the Impact of Age, Acoustic Exposure, and Electrical Stimulation on Binaural Sensitivity in Adult Bilateral Cochlear Implant Patients. Brain sciences, 10(6), 406. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060406
Moua K, Kan A, Jones HG, Misurelli SM, Litovsky RY. (2019). Auditory motion tracking ability of adults with normal hearing and with bilateral cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145(4):2498. doi: 10.1121/1.5094775.
Peng ZE, Hess C, Saffran JR, Edwards JR, Litovsky RY. (2019). Assessing Fine-Grained Speech Discrimination in Young Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Otology & Neurotology, 40(3):e191-e197. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000002115.
Winn MB, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2019). Temporal dynamics and uncertainty in binaural hearing revealed by anticipatory eye movements. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 145(2):676. doi: 10.1121/1.5088591.
Goupell MJ, Stoelb CA, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2018). The Effect of Simulated Interaural Frequency Mismatch on Speech Understanding and Spatial Release From Masking. Ear and Hearing, 39(5):895-905. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000541.
Litovsky RY, Moua K, Godar S, Kan A, Misurelli SM, Lee DJ. (2018). Restoration of spatial hearing in adult cochlear implant users with single-sided deafness. Hearing Research. pii: S0378-5955(17)30511-7. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.04.004.
Thakkar T, Kan A, Jones HG, Litovsky RY. (2018). Mixed stimulation rates to improve sensitivity of interaural timing differences in bilateral cochlear implant listeners. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 143(3):1428. doi: 10.1121/1.5026618.
Hess CL, Misurelli SM, Litovsky RY. (2018). Spatial Release From Masking in 2-Year-Olds With Normal Hearing and With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Trends in Hearing, 22:2331216518775567. doi: 10.1177/2331216518775567.
Litovsky RY, Goupell MJ, Kan A, Landsberger DM. (2017). Use of Research Interfaces for Psychophysical Studies With Cochlear-Implant Users. Trends in Hearing, 21:2331216517736464. doi: 10.1177/2331216517736464.
Zhou X, Seghouane AK, Shah A, Innes-Brown H, Cross W, Litovsky R, McKay CM. (2018). Cortical Speech Processing in Postlingually Deaf Adult Cochlear Implant Users, as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Trends in Hearing, 22:2331216518786850. doi: 10.1177/2331216518786850.
Todd AE, Goupell MJ, Litovsky RY. (2017) The Relationship Between Intensity Coding and Binaural Sensitivity in Adults With Cochlear Implants. Ear and hearing. 38(2):e128-e141. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000382.
Reidy PF, Kristensen K, Winn MB, Litovsky RY, Edwards JR. (2017) The Acoustics of Word-Initial Fricatives and Their Effect on Word-Level Intelligibility in Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Ear and hearing, 38(1):42-56.
Zheng Y, Escabí M, Litovsky RY. (2017). Spectro-temporal cues enhance modulation sensitivity in cochlear implant users. Hearing Research, 351:45-54. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.05.009.
Ehlers E, Goupell MJ, Zheng Y, Godar SP, Litovsky RY. (2017). Binaural sensitivity in children who use bilateral cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 141(6):4264. doi: 10.1121/1.4983824.
Kan A, Jones HG, Litovsky RY. (2016) Lateralization of interaural timing differences with multi-electrode stimulation in bilateral cochlear-implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 140(5):EL392.
Jones HG, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2016) The Effect of Microphone Placement on Interaural Level Differences and Sound Localization Across the Horizontal Plane in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users. Ear and hearing. 37(5):e341-5. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000297.
Goupell MJ, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2016). Spatial attention in bilateral cochlear-implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 140(3):1652.
Litovsky RY, Gordon K. (2016) Bilateral cochlear implants in children: Effects of auditory experience and deprivation on auditory perception. Hearing research. 338:76-87. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.01.003.
Todd AE, Goupell MJ, Litovsky RY. (2016) Binaural release from masking with single- and multi-electrode stimulation in children with cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 140(1):59. doi: 10.1121/1.4954717.
Ehlers E, Kan A, Winn MB, Stoelb C, Litovsky RY. (2016) Binaural hearing in children using Gaussian enveloped and transposed tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 139(4):1724. doi: 10.1121/1.4945588.
Litovsky RY, Misurelli SM. (2016) Does Bilateral Experience Lead to Improved Spatial Unmasking of Speech in Children Who Use Bilateral Cochlear Implants?. Otology and Neurotology. 37(2):e35-42. doi: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000000905.
Winn MB, Litovsky RY. (2015) Using speech sounds to test functional spectral resolution in listeners with cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 137(3):1430-42. doi: 10.1121/1.4908308.
Kan A, Litovsky RY, Goupell MJ. (2015) Effects of Interaural Pitch Matching and Auditory Image Centering on Binaural Sensitivity in Cochlear Implant Users. Ear and Hearing. 36(3):e62-8. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000135.
Kan A, Jones HG, Litovsky RY. (2015) Effect of multi-electrode configuration on sensitivity to interaural timing differences in bilateral cochlear-implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 138(6):3826-33. doi: 10.1121/1.4937754.
Misurelli SM, Litovsky RY. (2015) Spatial release from masking in children with bilateral cochlear implants and with normal hearing: Effect of target-interferer similarity. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 138(1):319. doi: 10.1121/1.4922777.
Winn MB, Edwards JR, Litovsky RY. (2015) The Impact of Auditory Spectral Resolution on Listening Effort Revealed by Pupil Dilation. Ear and Hearing. 36(4):e153-65. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000000145.
Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2015) Binaural hearing with electrical stimulation. Hearing Research. 322:127-137. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2014.08.005.
Zheng Y, Godar SP, Litovsky RY. (2015) Development of Sound Localization Strategies in Children with Bilateral Cochlear Implants. PLoS One. 19;10(8):e0135790. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135790.
Litovsky R. (2015) Development of the auditory system. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. 129:55-72. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62630-1.00003-2.
Goupell MJ, Litovsky RY. (2015) Sensitivity to interaural envelope correlation changes in bilateral cochlear-implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 137(1):335. doi: 10.1121/1.4904491.
Hossain S, Montazeri V, Assmann PF, Litovsky RY. (2015) Precedence based speech segregation in bilateral cochlear implant users. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 138(6):EL545-50. doi: 10.1121/1.4937906.
Brown AD, Jones HG, Kan AH, Thakkar T, Stecker GC, Goupell MJ, Litovsky RY. (2015) Evidence for a neural source of the precedence effect in sound localization. Journal of Neurophysiology. 114(5):2991-3001. doi: 10.1152/jn.00243.2015.
Churchill TH, Kan A, Goupell MJ, Litovsky RY. (2014) Spatial hearing benefits demonstrated with presentation of acoustic temporal fine structure cues in bilateral cochlear implant listeners. J Acoust Soc Am . Sep;136(3):1246. doi: 10.1121/1.4892764.
Gartrell BC, Jones HG, Kan A, Buhr-Lawler M, Gubbels SP, Litovsky RY. (2014) Investigating long-term effects of cochlear implantation in single-sided deafness: a best practice model for longitudinal assessment of spatial hearing abilities and tinnitus handicap. Ontology & Neurotology. 35(9):1525-32.
Jones H, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2014) Comparing sound localization deficits in bilateral cochlear-implant users and vocoder simulations with normal-hearing listeners. Trends in Hearing. 10;18. pii: 2331216514554574. doi: 10.1177/2331216514554574.
Hess C, Zettler-Greeley C, Godar SP, Ellis-Weismer S, Litovsky RY. (2014) The effect of differential listening experience on the development of expressive and receptive language in children with bilateral cochlear implants. Ear and Hearing. 35(4):387-95.
Goupell MJ, Stoelb C, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2013) Effect of mismatched place-of-stimulation on the salience of binaural cues in conditions that simulate bilateral cochlear-implant listening. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 133(4):2272-87.
Litovsky RY, Ehlers E, Hess C, Harris S. (2013) Reaching for sound measures: an ecologically valid estimate of spatial hearing in 2- to 3-year-old children with bilateral cochlear implants. Otology and Neurotology. 34(3):429-35.
Goupell MJ, Kan A, Litovsky RY. (2013) Mapping procedures can produce non-centered auditory images in bilateral cochlear implantees. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 133(2):EL101-7.
Misurelli SM, Litovsky RY. (2012) Spatial release from masking in children with normal hearing and with bilateral cochlear implants: Effect of interferer asymmetry. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Jul;132(1):380-91.
Litovsky RY, Goupell MJ, Godar S, Grieco-Calub T, Jones GL, Garadat SN, Agrawal S, Kan A, Todd A, Hess C, Misurelli S. (2012) Studies on bilateral cochlear implants at the University of Wisconsin’s Binaural Hearing and Speech Laboratory. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. Jun;23(6):476-94.
Grieco-Calub TM, Litovsky RY. (2012) Spatial Acuity in 2-to-3-Year-Old Children With Normal Acoustic Hearing, Unilateral Cochlear Implants, and Bilateral Cochlear Implants. Ear and Hearing. 33(5):561-72.
Todd AE, Edwards JR, Litovsky RY. (2011) Production of contrast between sibilant fricatives by children with cochlear implants. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Dec;130(6):3969-79.
Jones GL, Litovsky RY. (2011) A cocktail party model of spatial release from masking by both noise and speech interferers. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Sep;130(3):1463-74.
Grieco-Calub TM, Litovsky RY. (2010) Sound localization skills in children who use bilateral cochlear implants and in children with normal acoustic hearing. Ear and Hearing. Oct;31(5):645-56.
Grieco-Calub TM, Saffran JR, Litovsky RY. (2009) Spoken word recognition in toddlers who use cochlear implants. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Dec;52(6):1390-400.
Litovsky RY, Johnstone PM, Godar SP. (2006) Benefits of bilateral cochlear implants and/or hearing aids in children. International Journal of Audiology. 45 Suppl 1:S78-91.