Binaural Hearing and Speech Lab

Why do we have two ears?

Binaural hearing is the ability to integrate information that the brain receives from the two ears. Binaural hearing helps us listen in noisy, complex auditory environments, and to localize sound sources.

In the Litovsky lab, we study binaural hearing in persons who have normal hearing, individuals who are deaf and use cochlear implants (CIs), and individuals with Down syndrome (DS).

We are interested in whether CI users can benefit from having two (bilateral) CIs and whether, for children, having bilateral CIs at a young age offers unique advantages. We are also interested in how hearing loss in individuals with Down syndrome impacts cognition.