Research

Lab Overview

Dr. Vander Werff and her research team in the Auditory Electrophysiology Lab are interested in investigating how sound is processed in the nervous system from the ear to the brain. To learn about the representation of sound in the auditory system, we use EEG techniques to record neural activity that occurs when an individual listens to sounds such as speech.

Our research projects have focused on understanding how neurons encode the speech sounds used in everyday communication as the brain matures in adolescence and through the aging process into older adulthood. We are particularly interested in the effects of challenging listening situations, particularly background noise of other people talking, affects the timing and strength of these neural signals and how this relates to speech understanding performance.

In addition to learning more about neural correlates of speech in noise in the normal developmental and aging processes, we are studying how theses brain processes are affected by hearing loss, tinnitus, sound sensitivity, and head injury.

 

Recent and current projects include:

  • Speech in noise processing adolescents to older adults
  • Adolescent concussion effects on auditory processing in the early months of recovery
  • Objective indicators of central auditory changes related to tinnitus perception
  • Neural encoding of speech in different types of background noise, when the noise is non-speech vs. speech, and when the number of people talking in the background noise varies
  • The effects of the language and predictability of background speech noise on the neural processing of English words

 

Funding

  • Collaboration for Unprecedented Success and Excellence (CUSE) Innovative & Interdisciplinary Research Grant (Syracuse University) 2019-2021 “Auditory impact of adolescent concussion in acute and recovery stages.”
  • Jerome R and Arlene L. Gerber Endowed Fund for the Gerber Laboratory in Auditory Science (Syracuse University)  2018-2019, “Characterizing central auditory processing of speech in noise: adolescents to older adults.”
  • Marvin and Carol Schneller Fund (Syracuse University) 2011-2012, “A neurophysiological index of speech understanding in background noise: Informational masking and SNR effects.”
  • National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIH/NIDCD) R03 2010-2013, “Neural responses to speech in the central auditory system following brain injury.” R03DC010246

Click here to view full list of grants and awards.

 

Selected Publications

  • Vander Werff, K.R., *Niemczak, C.E., & *Morse, K. (in press). Informational masking effects of speech vs. non-speech noise on cortical auditory evoked potentials. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research.
  • *Niemczak, C.E. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2021). Informational masking effects of similarity and uncertainty on early and late stages of auditory cortical processing. Ear and Hearing, 42(4):1006-1023.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. & Rieger, B. (2019). Impaired auditory processing and neural representation of speech in noise among symptomatic post-concussion adults. Brain Injury, 33(10):1320-1331.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. & Rieger, B. (2019). Auditory      and cognitive behavioral performance deficits and symptom reporting in post-concussion syndrome following mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. Jul 1: 1-18.
  • *Morse, K. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2019). Comparison of silent gap in noise cortical auditory evoked potentials in matched tinnitus and no-tinnitus control subjects. American Journal of Audiology, 28(2), 260-273.
  • *Niemczak, C.E. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2019). Informational masking effects on neural encoding of stimulus onset and acoustic change. Ear and Hearing, 40(1): 156-167.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. & Rieger, B. (2017). Brainstem evoked potential indices of subcortical auditory processing following mild traumatic brain injury. Ear and Hearing, 38(4): e200-e214.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. & *Nesbitt, K.L. (2017). Hearing loss and age induced changes in the central auditory system measured by the P3 response to small changes in frequency. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 28(5):373-384.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. & *Burns, K.S. (2011). Brainstem responses to speech in younger and older adults. Ear and Hearing, 32(2): 168-180.

Click here to view my entire list of publications.

 

Selected Presentations

  • *Morse, K., Vander Werff, K.R. (2021, February). Onset-Offset cortical auditory evoked potential Indices of tinnitus-related excitatory-inhibitory neural plasticity. Poster presented at the 44th Annual Midwinter Research Meeting, Association for Research in Otolaryngology.
  • Vander Werff, K.R., *Bubniak, D., *Keech, L. and *Niemczak, C.E. (2020, March). Peripheral and central auditory comparisons between adolescents and young/middle-aged adults. Poster presented at the American Auditory Society Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ.
  • *Niemczak, C.E., Vander Werff, K.R. (2020, March). Objective and behavioral indices of linguistic/phonetic similarity in informational masking. Poster presented at the American Auditory Society Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ.
  • *Morse, K. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2017, October). The utility of electrophysiological gap detection to assess if tinnitus masks silent gaps in noise. Poster presented at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) Conference “Translating Tinnitus Research Findings into Clinical Practice”, Portland, OR. (Conference scholarship recipient)
  • *Morse, K. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2017, February). Effect of gap duration on the CAEP in tinnitus subjects. Poster presented at the American Auditory Society Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ.
  • Vander Werff, K.R. (2016, October). Beyond behavioral: What does the brain tell us about understanding speech in noise? Invited presentation at the 2016 Vermont Speech-Language Hearing Association Annual Meeting and Fall Conference, Burlington, VT.
  • Vander Werff, K.R., *Niemczak, C.E., *O’Flaherty, S., *Rekola, S., and *Doci, S. (2016, April). Effects of number of talkers and spectrotemporal content of informational masking on the CAEP. Poster presented at the AudiologyNOW Annual Convention of the American Academy of Audiology of Audiology, Phoenix, AZ. (Winner of Poster Award for Excellence in Electrophysiology)
  • *Niemczak, C.E. & Vander Werff, K.R. (2016, February). Informational masking effects on neural encoding of acoustic change. NIH Mentored Student Award poster presented at the American Auditory Society Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ.
  • *Cloutier, J.R., *Coscione, K.M., & Vander Werff, K.R. (2013, April). Neural encoding at the brainstem level following symptomatic concussion. Poster presented at the AudiologyNOW Annual Convention of the American Academy of Audiology of Audiology, Anaheim, CA. (Winner of James Jerger Award for Excellence in Student Research)
  • *Coscione, K.M., *Cloutier, J.R., & Vander Werff, K.R. (2013, April). Effects of the number of talkers in speech noise on cortical auditory potentials. Poster presented at the AudiologyNOW Annual Convention of the American Academy of Audiology of Audiology, Anaheim, CA.

Click here to view my entire list of presentations.