Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy Associates P.S.
Specializing in disorders of the Ear, Nose and Throat.

ABR Testing Northwest Hearing Center of Puyallup

Auditory Brainstem Response

Auditory brainstem response can provide an estimation of hearing thresholds, but is more often used to rule out diseases and disorders on the auditory nerve and in the lower brainstem. A response from within the auditory system that is elicited by an acoustic stimulus, whether it is a click stimulus, tone burst, or speech sound, is an auditory evoked response. Auditory evoked responses are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp, forehead, earlobes, behind the ear, or in the ear canal. These responses are analyzed for pattern and the time between onset of stimulus and occurrence of the response by a specialized computer that amplifies and averages the repetitive signals. Auditory evoked potentials are classified by the time the response occurs after the onset of the acoustic stimulus. The grouping of potentials that occurs within the first 10ms after the onset of the stimulus is known as auditory brainstem responses. The patient lies on an exam table with electrodes on his head (ears and forehead) and listens to somewhat loud continuous clicking sounds. The patient is not required to participate in testing. The testing takes approximately one-hour.