title: Rising-frequency chirps and earphones with an extended high-frequency response enhance the post-auricular muscle response.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether rising-frequency chirps presented via earphones with an extended high-frequency response would optimize the post-auricular muscle response (PAMR). The PAMR was recorded in adults using three different stimuli (a click, a rising-frequency chirp, and a truncated speech stimulus, /t/). Conventional ER-3A insert earphones were compared to ER-2 insert earphones to determine whether the PAMR is enhanced by the ER-2's extended highfrequency response. There were significant stimulus and earphone effects on PAMR amplitudes. The PAMR was largest for the chirp stimulus and the ER-2 earphones. The poorest responses were obtained using the /t/ stimulus and conventional ER-3A earphones. The results support previous ABR studies that have demonstrated a significant advantage of chirps over clicks for evoked response audiometry, and indicate that the PAMR is enhanced by inclusion of additional high-frequency stimulus energy.
authors.affiliation: National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia. katrina.agung@utdallas.edu
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Agung
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Purdy
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Patuzzi
authors.forename: Greg A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: O'Beirne
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Newall
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D012535:Scalp