Lee M. Miller

Research Interests

My research focuses on understanding the neural bases of auditory perception and speech recognition in human listeners. Countless normal listeners have trouble understanding speech in noisy environments, and certain special populations, such as those with learning impairments, autism, or using hearing aids and cochlear implants, face even greater difficulties. Among these, the most numerous are individuals with hearing loss, now numbering 30 million Americans and half a billion worldwide. This reduced ability to communicate often leads to depression, loneliness, and social anxiety, particularly in older adults. Untreated hearing loss in the U.S. costs tens of billions of dollars annually, with immeasurable human costs.

Using non-invasive techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), high-density electroencephalography (EEG), and neural network analysis, my research aims to learn how different parts of the brain cooperate to achieve perception, especially in noisy environments, and what happens when comprehension fails. Results from this research may lead to practical solutions such as improved audiological diagnosis and targeting, enhanced hearing-device design, better speech recovery after device fitting, improved training on listening strategies, and greater social integration among special populations. This research is generously supported by the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Center Affiliations

• Center for Mind and Brain
• Center for Neuroscience

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Neuroscience Graduate Group
• Psychology Graduate Program