title: Auditory steady-state response thresholds of adults with sensorineural hearing impairments.
abstract: This study evaluated the use of multiple auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) to estimate the degree and configuration of behavioral audiograms of subjects with sensorineural hearing impairments. Place specificity of the multiple-ASSR method was also assessed. Multiple amplitude-modulated (77-105 Hz) tones (500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz) were simultaneously presented to one ear. The results showed that, on average, multiple-ASSR thresholds were 14 +/- 13, 8 +/- 9, 10 +/- 10 and 3 +/- 10 dB above behavioral thresholds for 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz, respectively. Behavioral and multiple-ASSR thresholds were significantly correlated (r = 0.75-0.89). There were no significant differences between behavioral and multiple-ASSR measures of the audiogram configuration. In subjects with steep-sloping > or = 30 dB/ octave) hearing losses, multiple-ASSR thresholds did not underestimate behavioral thresholds revealing good place specificity. These results indicate that the multiple-ASSR method provides good estimates of the degree and configuration of hearing in individuals with sensorineural hearing impairments.
authors.affiliation: School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Anthony T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Herdman
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Stapells
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis