title: A setup for simultaneous measurement of electrophysiological and psychometric temporal encoding in the auditory system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Simultaneous assessment of psychometric tasks and electrophysiological recordings is challenging because each requires specific technical and physiological preconditions. Electrophysiological recordings require a comparatively long test time duration to gain sufficient signal-to-noise ratios, whereas test duration of psychometric measurements should be limited to prevent challenges to the attention of the subject. In order to investigate immediate correlation between both measurements a method is described, which combines electrophysiological and psychometrical measurements in a single test procedure. The test may be applied to subjects with deficits in temporal resolution (e.g. auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, ANSD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Auditory steady state responses (ASSR) and a pitch discrimination task were combined in a single procedure. The setup employed two short-time ASSR sub-stimuli with different fixed modulation frequencies but same carrier frequencies (signal 1 and 2). Simultaneously to the recording of ASSR, the test subject had to determine the signal interval which generated the perception of higher pitch.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The developed setup was successfully tested by means of an artificial EEG signal and in one human subject. ASSR signal as well as pitch discrimination performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  To our knowledge the presented method has not yet been described elsewhere.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The feasibility of a setup to simultaneously perform a pitch discrimination task and electrophysiological measurements was demonstrated for the first time. The method provides the facility to apply sinusoidal amplitude modulated stimuli (SAM) with jittered modulation period lengths.
authors: University of Würzburg, Clinic for Otolaryngology, Comprehensive Hearing Center, 97080 Würzburg, Germany. Electronic address: Bahmer_A@ukw.de.
authors: Andreas
authors: A
authors: Bahmer
authors: University of Frankfurt Main, Clinic for Otolaryngology, Audiological Acoustics, 60590 Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic address: uwe.baumann@kgu.de.
authors: Uwe
authors: U
authors: Baumann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010897:Pitch Discrimination / Q000502:physiology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D011601:Psychophysics / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: ASSR; Electrophysiology; Jitter; Psychophysic; SAM; Temporal coding