Effect of Stimulus Rate and Gender on Auditory Brainstem Response in Korean Young Adults

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of stimulus rate and gender on auditory brainstem response (ABR) latency and amplitude in Korean young adults. A total of thirty young adults consisting of fifteen males and fifteen females participated in the study. We performed this study by analyzing the latencies and amplitudes of ABR wave I, Ⅲ, and V as a function of low stimulus rate and gender. The stimulus repetition rate was changed in five steps: 8, 16, 21, 32, and 64/s. Experimental results showed that when stimulus rates increased, significant differences in the latency and amplitude of wave I, Ⅲ, and V were observed while a gender effect was found on the latency of wave Ⅲ and the amplitudes of wave I and Ⅲ. As stimulus rates increased, the latencies of wave I, Ⅲ, and V consistently and progressively increased, whereas the amplitudes of ABR waves inconsistently changed. The latency shift became longer in wave V than wave I and Ⅲ. The amplitude of wave I, Ⅲ, and V was greatest at a stimulus rate of 21/s and least at a stimulus rate of 32/s, compared to those of other stimulus rates. This study will provide beneficial information in developing proper strategies that optimize and enhance the ABR wave latencies and amplitudes in different gender groups, saving the ABR test time in clinical applications, and establishing a quantitatively normative database for clinical purposes.