title: Selecting the best tone-pip stimulus-envelope time for estimating an objective middle-latency response threshold for low- and middle-tone sensorineural hearing losses.
abstract: The effects of rise-fall and plateau times for the Pa component of the middle-latency response (MLR) were investigated in normally hearing subjects, and an objective MLR threshold was measured in patients with low- and middle-tone hearing losses, using a selected stimulus-envelope time. Our results showed that the stimulus-envelope time (the rise-fall time and plateau time groups) affected the Pa component of the MLR (quality was determined by the (chi 2-test and amplitude by the F-test). The 4-2-4 tone-pips produced good Pa quality by visual inspection. However, our data revealed no statistically significant Na-Pa amplitude differences between the two subgroups studied when comparing the 2- and 4-ms rise-fall times and the 0- and 2-ms plateau times. In contrast, Na-Pa became significantly smaller from the 4-ms to the 6-ms rise-fall time and from the 2-ms to the 4-ms plateau time (paired t-test). This result allowed us to select the 2- or 4-ms rise-fall time and the 0- or 2-ms plateau time without influencing amplitude. Analysis of the stimulus spectral characteristics demonstrated that a rise-fall time of at least 2ms could prevent spectral splatter and indicated that a stimulus with a 5-ms rise-fall time had a greater frequency-specificity than a stimulus of 2-ms rise-fall time. When considering the synchronous discharge and frequency-specificity of MLR, our findings show that a rise-fall time of four periods with a plateau of two periods is an acceptable compromise for estimating the objective MLR threshold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Z M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Vel
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vinck
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Cauwenberge
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D013997:Time Factors