Age-related changes in BAER at different click rates from neonates to adults

Aim: To characterize age‐related changes in brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) at different click rates from neonates to adults. Methods: BAER was studied at repetition rates 11–91/sec of clicks in 165 normal neonates and children of various ages and 29 young adults. Results: BAER wave latencies and inter‐peak intervals increased linearly with increasing click rate at all ages. The younger was the age, the greater were BAER click rate‐dependent changes. At 9 months and younger, the slopes of latency‐ and interval‐rate functions were all significantly greater than in the adults (all p < 0.01). The slopes of wave I latency‐ and I–III interval‐rate functions at 1–2 years and older were similar to those in adults. The slopes of wave III and V latency‐rate functions and I–V and III–V interval‐rate function at 3–4 years and older did not differ significantly from those in adults. Conclusion: BAER is affected by stimulus rate more in younger children than in the older. Adult‐like rate‐dependent changes are reached at 1–2 years for wave I latency and I–III interval, and 3–4 years for wave III and V latencies and I–V and III–V intervals. Our BAER data at different click rates provide normal references for subjects of various ages.