Auditory evoked potentials in comparison to hearing thresholds

Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) is now commonly used to identify the Pure Tone Audiogram (PTA), especially for uncooperative humans. This work examined the correlation between pure tone threshold audiograms and ASSR at four frequencies (500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz, and 4 kHz) using a modulation frequency 40 Hz. Statistical evaluations were performed by correlation analysis and the Bland-Altman method, where the variance of the differences from measurement pairs was assessed based on the mean of these measurement pairs. The PTA value in decibels (dB) has established as the gold standard. Paired measurements are determined by the gold standard, while ASSR measurements are made by two measuring systems. Results: (1) The difference between ASSR thresholds and PTA thresholds were frequency-dependent, that is, it decreased with increasing frequency. (2) The ASSR is a useful complementary measuring tool to detect hearing thresholds in normal hearing subjects.