Although cochlear implants (CIs) facilitate spoken language acquisition, many CI listeners experience difficulty learning new words.
Cochlear Implants
The sound of the Waisman Center’s work to improve cochlear implants
The Waisman Center has been at the forefront of research on cochlear implants and hearing science for more than two decades.
Better ears for better lives
Her child, who was born with congenital deafness, had received her first cochlear implant early enough to access spoken language, but with only one implant she had struggled with understanding speech in noisy environments or locating sounds.
Ruth Litovsky, PhD – Slide of the Week
To investigate the feasibility of using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to image cortical activity in cochlear implant (CI) users and normal hearing (NH) adults, using either visual-speech or auditory-speech.
Viji Easwar, PhD – Slide of the Week
Accurate use of interaural time differences (ITDs) for spatial hearing may require access to bilateral auditory input during sensitive periods in human development. Providing bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) simultaneously promotes symmetrical development of bilateral auditory pathways but does not support normal ITD sensitivity.
Ruth Litovsky, PhD – Slide of the Week
Many people with single-sided deafness have tinnitus in the deaf ear (and normal hearing in the other ear). We are conducting a clinical trial in collaboration with surgeons at Harvard Medical School, to determine if a CI in the deaf ear provides: (A) relief from tinnitus due to the electrical stimulation, and (B) improved ability to localize sounds.
Ruth Litovsky, PhD
Title: Does Bilateral Experience Lead to Improved Spatial Unmasking of Speech in Children Who Use Bilateral Cochlear Implants? Legend: We vary the spatial locations of target speech and masking speech, so they are co-located (A) …
Professor works with kids and their families to get better use of their cochlear implants
Ruth Litovsky and her team at the Waisman Center work with kids and their families from across the country to get better use of their cochlear implants.
Deaf children: Study shows significant language progress after two cochlear implants
An ongoing study of 45 deaf children who had two cochlear implants finds that their language skills are within the normal range.
Study looks at benefits of two cochlear implants in deaf children
Nature has outfitted us with a pair of ears for good reason: having two ears enhances hearing.