The Averaged Evoked Response to Auditory Stimulation

Abstract

Evoked responses of 160 normal-hearing subjects to auditory stimuli (clicks) were recorded, and data related to the latency, amplitude, and frequency of occurrence of various late components were studied. Negative peaks (vertex referred to earlobe) at 85 and 260 msec and a positive peak at 160 msec occurred often enough and with sufficient amplitude to be useful as indicators of response to auditory stimulation. Frequency of occurrence and latency did not appear related to the race, sex, or age of the subject nor to the side of the head from which the recording was taken. The amplitudes are related to these variables. White subjects gave larger responses than colored subjects, females gave larger responses than males, younger and older subjects gave larger responses than those in between, and the responses from the contralateral side of the head (re stimulated ear) tended to be larger than those from the ipsilateral side. Thresholds for the evoked response to clicks are very near voluntary thresholds for the same stimuli in normal-hearing young adults.