Brief Biography

Karen Gordon is an assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and a associate graduate faculty member in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. She works at SickKids as a scientist-track investigator in the Research Institute and as director of research in the Cochlear Implant Laboratory.

Karen received her PhD (2005) and BSc (1991) at the University of Toronto and her MA in audiology (1993) at Northwestern University. She is a registered audiologist (reg. CASLPO, CCC-A), a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA), and a member of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) and the Society of Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC).

Karen's research focuses on auditory development in children who are deaf and use cochlear implants. Her early work examined the role of a unilateral implant to promote changes in the auditory brainstem, thalamus and cortex and she is presently interested in the effects of bilateral cochlear implants in these areas. Karen has been awarded grant funding for her work on binaural auditory development in children receiving bilateral cochlear implants from both the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the SickKids Foundation.

Research Interests

I am an active member of the Cochlear Implant team which is responsible for determining candidacy for cochlear implantation of children applying to the program and monitoring children who are using either a single cochlear implant or bilateral cochlear implants.

My research focuses on auditory development in children who have severe to profound hearing loss. I am investigating the effects of deafness along the auditory pathways and ask how auditory development might best be promoted through an auditory prosthesis which is surgically implanted in the cochlea (a cochlear implant). My early studies examined changes in the auditory nerve, brainstem, thalamus and cortex in children using a unilateral cochlear implant. That work defined the time course of activity-dependent development in the auditory nerve and brainstem and identified important differences between changes occurring in the brainstem compared to thalamo-cortical areas of the auditory pathways.

I am currently asking whether auditory development promoted by a single cochlear implant compromises the ability of the contralateral pathways to change once the second ear is implanted and whether the auditory pathways are able to integrate information provided by two separate prostheses. We are using electrophysiological and behavioral measures in children using bilateral cochlear implants to answer these questions.

In the future, I intend to extend these studies to examine multi-modal influences on the auditory development promoted by unilateral and bilateral cochlear implant use which may have implications for therapy techniques used to teach children to hear through these devices

External Funding

Processing bilateral electrical input in the developing auditory system.
Primary Investigator: Gordon, K.A., Co-investigator: Papsin, B.C.
4 year Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Operating Grant (2008-2012).

Auditory development promoted by bilateral cochlear implantation.
Primary Investigator: Gordon, K.A., Co-investigators: Harrison, R.V., Trehub, S.E., Papsin, B.C.
CIHR/SickKids Foundation New Investigators Award, 2 years (September 2006- September 2008).

Achievements

2005 New Investigators Award
2005 Conference on Implantable Auditory Prostheses, Asilomar, CA

2001-04 Fellowship Training Award
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Publications

Gordon KA, Tanaka S, Wong DDE, Papsin BC. Characterizing responses from auditory cortex in young people using cochlear implants. Clin Neurophysiol. 2008 Aug 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18752993

CushingSL, Papsin BC, Rutka JA, James AL, Gordon K.A. Evidence of vestibular and balance dysfunction in children with profoundsensorineural hearing loss using cochlear implants. Laryngoscope. 2008 Aug 28. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18758383

Davids T, Papsin BC, Valero J, Gordon KA. (2008) Effects of stimulus manipulation on electrophysiological responses in pediatric cochlear implant users. part I: duration effects, hearing research. 2008 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18692121.

Davids T, Papsin BC, Valero J, Gordon KA. (2008) Effects of stimulus manipulation on electrophysiological responses in pediatric cochlear implant users. part II: rate effects, hearing research. 2008 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18692122.

Gordon KA, Valero J, van Hoesel R, Papsin BC. (2008) Abnormal timing delays in auditory brainstem responses evoked by bilateral cochlear implant use in children. Otology and NeuroOtology, 29(2): 193-198.

Cushing SL, James AL, Papsin BC, Gordon KA. (2008) A test of static and dynamic balance function in children with cochlear implants: the vestibular olympics. Archives of oto-rhino-laryngology, 134(1): 34-38.

Papsin BC, Gordon KA. (2008) Bilateral cochlear implantation should be the standard for children with bilateral sensorineural deafness. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, 16(1): 69-74.

Papsin BC, Gordon KA. (2007) Cochlear implantation in a child with severe to profound deafness, New England Journal of Medicine: 357(23): 2380-7.

Gordon KA, Valero J, Papsin BC. (2007) Auditory brainstem activity in children with 9 to 30 months of bilateral cochlear implant use. Hearing Research; 233(1-2):97-107. Epub 2007 Aug 9

Gordon KA, Valero J, Papsin BC. (2007) Binaural processing in children using bilateral cochlear implants. NeuroReport :18(6): 613-618.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC. Harrison RV. (2007) Auditory brainstem activity and development evoked by apical versus basal cochlear implant electrode stimulation in children. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118(8): 1671-84.

Propst EJ, Harrison RV, Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Blaser S, Stockley T. (2007) In reference to temporal bone imaging in GJB2 deafness. Laryngoscope, 117(6):1127-1129.

Davids T, Gordon KA, Clutton D, Papsin BC. (2007) Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA) in children and infants under the age of five. Archives of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, 133(1): 51-55.

Propst EJ, Blaser S, Harrison RV, Gordon KA, Papsin BC. (2006) Temporal Bone Imaging in GJB2 deafness. Laryngoscope - 116(12): 2178-2186.

Cushing S, Papsin BC, Harrison RV, Gordon KA. (2006) Incidence and characteristics of facial nerve stimulation in children with cochlear implants. Laryngoscope, 116: 1787-1791. Triological Society, Resident Travel Award and Physicians' Services Incorporated Residents Award.

Propst EJ, Papsin BC, Stockley T, Harrison RV, Gordon KA. (2006) Auditory responses in cochlear implant users with and without GJB2 deafness. Laryngoscope, 116(2):317-27, Triological Society, First Prize Resident Research Award.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2006) An evoked potential study of the developmental time course of the auditory nerve and brainstem in children using cochlear implants. Audiology and NeuroOtology: 11:7-23.

Gordon KA, Tanaka S, Papsin BC. (2005) Atypical cortical responses underlie poor speech perception in children using cochlear implants. Neuroreport, 16(18):2041-5.

Propst EJ, Blaser S, Gordon KA, Harrison RV, Papsin BC. (2005) Temporal bone findings using CT imaging in Branchio-Oto-Renal syndrome. Laryngoscope, 115(10):1855-1862.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2005) Effects of cochlear implant use on the electrically evoked middle latency response in children. Hearing Research 204(1-2): 78-89.

Propst EJ, Papsin BC, Gordon KA, Stockley TL, Harrison RV. (2005) The genetic profile of mutations in GJB2 (Connexin 26) and GJB6 (Connexin 30) in a multi-cultural Canadian Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program. International Journal of Paediatric Otolaryngology, 2006 Mar;70(3):435-44. Epub 2005 Aug 24.

Gordon KA, Harrison RV. (2005) Changes in human central auditory development caused by deafness in early childhood. Journal of the Ohio Speech- Language and Hearing Association, 17: 28-34..

Harrison RV, Gordon KA, Mount R. (2005) Is there a crticial period for cochlear implantation in congenitally deaf children? Analysis of hearing and speech perception performance after implantation. Developmental Psychobiology, 46(3):252-61.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2004) Programming cochlear implants in Infants: Using a combination of objective measures in the clinical setting. International Journal of Audiology, 43 Suppl 1:S28-32.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2004) Thalamo-cortical activity and plasticity in children using cochlear implants. International Congress Series, 1273: 76-79.

MacDonald L, Sohn G, Papsin BC, Gordon KA. (2004) Use of a graded profile analysis to assess cochlear implant candidacy: recent findings. International Congress Series, 1273, p. 215-218.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2004) Toward a battery of behavioral and objective measures to achieve optimal cochlear implant stimulation levels in children. Ear and Hearing, 25: 447-463.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2003) Activity-dependent developmental plasticity of the auditory brain stem in children who use cochlear implants. Ear and Hearing, 24(6), 485-500.

Propst EJ, Gordon KA, Harrison RV, Abel SM, Papsin BC. (2002) Sound frequency discrimination in normal-hearing listerners and cochlear implant users. University of Toronto Medical Journal, 79(2); 100-106.

Gordon KA, Papsin BC, Harrison RV. (2001) Auditory brainstem and midbrain development following cochlear implantation in children. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, Otolaryngology,189: 32-7.

Gordon KA, Ebinger K, Getsin J, Shapiro W. (2001) Neural response telemetry in children implanted at 12 to 24 months of age. Annals of Otology, Rhinology, Otolaryngology, 189: 42-8.

Gordon KA, Harrison RV, Twitchell K, Papsin BC. (2000) The advantage of residual hearing prior to cochlear implantation on post-implant speech perception in children. Journal of Otolaryngology, 30 (4), 216-223.

Gordon KA, Daya H, Harrison RV, Papsin BC. (2000) Factors contributing to limited open set speech perception in children with congenital hearing loss who use a cochlear implant. International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology, 56, 101-111.

Daya H, Figueirido JC, Gordon KA, Twitchell K, Gysin C, Papsin BC. (1999) The role of a graded profile analysis in determining candidacy and outcome for cochlear implantation in children. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 49(2): 135-142.

Harrison RV, Nedzelski J, Picton N, Papsin BC, Russell S, Margar-Bacal F, Ross D, Papaioannou V, Gordon KA, Lockyer L, Ingrams J, Barnett S. (1997) The paediatric cochlear implant program at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. The Journal of Otolaryngology, 26 (3): 180-187.