title: Effects of ambient acoustic noise on the auditory steady-state response thresholds in normally hearing adults.
abstract: The effect of noise on auditory steady-state response (ASSR) has not been systematically studied, despite the fact that ASSR thresholds are sometimes measured in noisy environments. This study examined the effects of noise (speech babble) on the ASSR thresholds obtained from 31 normal hearing adults aged from 17 to 36 years (mean = 25 years). The ASSR thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz were measured in the right ear only using the Biologic MASTER system twice in quiet and in the presence of 55 dB A and 75 dB A of speech babble. The results showed no change in mean ASSR thresholds across the test-retest conditions in quiet. The mean ASSR thresholds obtained in the quiet conditions were 23.8, 22.5, 18.2 and 20.4 dB HL at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz, respectively. No significant shift in ASSR thresholds across all test frequencies was found when 55 dB A of speech babble was presented. However, when 75 dB A of noise was applied, the mean ASSR thresholds were significantly shifted by 9.5, 3.8, 4.2 and 5.8 dB at 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz, respectively.
authors: Division of Audiology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. k.kei@uq.edu.au
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Kei
authors: Damian
authors: D
authors: Smith
authors: Salimon
authors: S
authors: Joseph
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Stopa
authors: Soonsil
authors: S
authors: Kang
authors: Ross
authors: R
authors: Darnell
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000162:Acoustics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results