[The sex difference of speech evoked auditory brainstem responses in children and young adults].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to compare the sex difference of the speech-ABR in young adults and school age children.


METHODS
Speech-ABR of eighty normal hearing subjects including twenty four school-age children(12 girls and boys, age from 6 to 12 years old) and fifty six young adults(male 29, female 27, age from 20 to 34 years old) were recorded. The speech syllable /da/ as stimulus sound was transmitted to right ear by insert earphones in speech-ABR test.


RESULTS
① Females had a shorter latency than males in transient response (waves V, A and O) and sustained response (waves D, E and F) of speech-ABR (P<0.05, respectively). The amplitudes of transient response (waves V and A) and sustained response (waves D, E and F) in females were also significantly larger than those in males (P<0.05, respectively), except for amplitude of peak O (P>0.05). The V/A slope in females was significantly steeper than that in males[(-0.43±0.13)vs(-0.25±0.08), P<0.01]. ②The amplitude and latency of speech-ABR in transient response (waves V, A and O) and sustained response (waves D, E and F) were not significantly different between boys and girls. Only the V/A slope in girls was significantly steeper than that in boys [(-0.46±0.12)vs(-0.35±0.15), P<0.05]. ③The latency of speech-ABR was significantly prolonged in young men when compared with boys in both transient response (waves V, A and O) (P<0.05, respectively) and sustained response (waves D and F, P<0.05, respectively), except for wave E (P>0.05). The amplitude of speech-ABR showed a statistically significant decrease (P<0.05, respectively) only in wave A, D and F. Contrarily, the decrease in response amplitudes of waves V, E and O were not statistically significant (P>0.05, respectively). The V/A slope was steeper in boys than in young men, which was statistically significant (P<0.05). ④ In girls and young women, peak latency and magnitude of speech-ABR showed similar characteristics. No significant differences were found in either transient response or sustained response. The V/A slope between girls and young women was similar without significant difference (P>0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The female adults have shorter wave latency and larger amplitude of speech-ABR than males, which suggests that females have better speech encoding in brainstem. There are few differences between female and girls in wave latency and amplitude. The speech encoding in brainstem in young men tends to become worse than in boys. It implies that the increase of androgen might weaken the ability of the speech encoding in brainstem.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; College of Otolaryngology, Capital Medical University; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100020, China.
J F
JF
Liu
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; College of Otolaryngology, Capital Medical University; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100020, China.
X
X
Fu
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; College of Otolaryngology, Capital Medical University; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100020, China.
D
D
Wang
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; College of Otolaryngology, Capital Medical University; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100020, China.
X T
XT
Li
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University; College of Otolaryngology, Capital Medical University; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100020, China.
N Y
NY
Wang
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*