Effects of stimulus repetition rate on slow and fast components of auditory brain-stem responses

Effects of stimulus repetition rate on the slow and fast components of the auditory brain-stem response (ABR) were investigated in 10 adult subjects with normal hearing. The ABRs were recorded with click stimuli at repetition rates of 8, 13.3, 23.8, 40 and 90.9/sec and at an intensity level of 55 dB nHL. Power spectral analysis of the averaged responses was performed. Then the responses were divided into a slow component (0–400Hz) and a fast component (400–1500 Hz) by using digital filtering technique. The magnitude of the slow component was little affected with increasing stimulus rate from 8/sec to 90.9/sec, while successive waves of the fast component, including wave V, decreased in amplitude as stimulus rate was increased. The latency of the slow component and each wave of the fast component was prolonged with increasing click rates. The shift of latency became longer in the later waves than in the earlier waves.     

The effect of click rate on latency and interpeak interval of the brain-stem auditory evoked potentials in children from birth to 6 years

Latency and interpeak interval of the brain-stem auditory evoked potentials at different click rates were measured in 80 healthy children from birth to 6 years, and 21 adults. Clicks were presented at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 90/sec, and 70, 40 and 20 db HL. At high stimulus intensity (70 dB SL), all latencies of waves I, III and V and the I–V, I–III and III–V intervals showed a progressive prolongation with increasing repetition rate. The latency- and the interval-rate functions were similar for all age groups but their slopes were slightly steeper in younger than in older. As click rate increased from 10/sec to 90/sec, the latencies of waves I, III and V at different age groups were prolonged by 4–10%, 9–13% and 12–15% respectively, and the intervals of I–V, I–III and III–V were prolonged by 15–16%, 8–16% and 14–24% respectively. The mean increments of wave V latency and I–V interval in different age groups were 0.404–0.575 and 0.332–0.526 msec respectively with increasing click rate from 10 to 50/sec, and 0.697–1.009 and 0.629–0.776 msec respectively with increasing click rate from 10 to 90/sec. The younger the age the larger the absolute increments for all these BAEP parameters, but the increasing rates for a BAEP measure were similar among different age groups, exhibiting no age-dependent differences. The III–V/I–III interval ration in most age groups was increased by 3–10% with increasing click rate from 10 to 90/sec, suggesting that the III–V interval was affected by stimulus rate slightly more than I–III interval.At moderate (40 dB HL) and low (20 dB SL) intensity, all waves and intervals showed similar latency- and interval-rate functions to those at high intensity. This demonstrates that the shifting latencies and interpeak intervals with increasing click rate appeared to be independent of the stimulus intensities.     

KILLER WHALE (ORCINUS ORCA) AUDITORY EVOKED POTENTIALS TO RHYTHMIC CLICKS

Temporal auditory mechanisms were measured in killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) by recording auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to clicks. Clicks were presented at rates from 10/sec to 1,600/sec. At low rates, clicks evoked an AEP similar to the auditory brainstem response (ABR) of other odontocetes; however, peak latencies of the main waves were 3–3.7 msec longer than in bottlenose dolphins. Fourier analysis of the ABR showed a prominent peak at 300–400 Hz and a smaller one at 800–1,200 Hz. High-rate click presentation (more than 100/sec) evoked a rate-following response (RFR). The RFR amplitude depended little on rate up to 400/sec, decreased at higher rates and became undetectable at 1,120/sec. Fourier analysis showed that RFR fundamental amplitude dependence on frequency closely resembled the ABR spectrum. The fundamental could follow clicks to around 1,000/sec, although higher harmonics of lower rates could arise at frequencies as high as 1,200 Hz. Both RFR fundamental phase dependence on frequency and the response lag after a click train indicated an RFR group delay of around 7.5 msec. This corresponds to the latency of ABR waves PIII-NIV, which indicates the RFR originates as a rhythmic, overlapping ABR sequence. The data suggest the killer whale auditory system can follow high click rates, an ability that may have been selected for as a function of high-frequency hearing and the use of rapid clicks in echolocation.     

白噪声对听觉脑干电反应(ABR)和耳蜗电图(ECochG)的影响

本文通过20例听力正常人和10例听力正常豚鼠研究了白噪声对耳蜗电图(ECochG)和听觉脑干电反应(ABR)的干涉作用。实验结果表明,白噪声比短声(信号)的声强级低30dB(SL)以上时,ECochG和ABR的振幅仅轻微减小。白噪声与短声的声强级相等时,ECochG与ABR的振幅和出现率会明显受到干涉而减小,甚至完全消失。但是,此时的耳蜗微音器电位(CM)并未观察到有明显的变化。这意味着白噪声对ECochG和ABR的干涉作用主要与围绕毛细胞基底部的突触产生的抑制密切相关。由于白噪声对ABR各波的干涉有些差异,所以认为这种抑制,可能既包括脑中抑制也包括侧方抑制。     

Human auditory evoked potentials during natural sleep: The early components

The auditory brain-stem evoked potential (ABEP) was recorded from 9 female subjects during 1 night of natural sleep. Monaural click stimuli were delivered at a rate of either 11, 41 or 81/sec through a hearing-aid device. The intensity was held constant at 70 dB nHL. In other runs, the intensity was lowered to either 50, 30 or 10 dB, the rate of click presentation being held constant at 81/sec. Tympanic temperature was monitored throughout the recording session. The ABEP was unaltered during any stage of sleep regardless of the rate of presentation or stimulus intensity. Distinct peak V responses were recognizable to within 10 dB of the adult threshold in the sleeping subject. It may be concluded that sleep has no virtually on effect on ABEP morphology.     

Binaural interaction and the effects of stimulus intensity and repetition rate in human auditory brain-stem

Binaural interaction (BI) components in brain-stem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and their changes with stimulus intensity and repetition rate were examined in human adult. Seven BI components were identified, which occurred between the latency range of 5 and 11 ms and coincided consistently with the latency range of BAEP waves IV–VII. Waves DV and DVII, occurring at the downslopes of BAEP-waves V and VII, respectively, were the two most prominent and reproducible BI components. Wave DVII existed consistently at high, moderate and, in most cases, low stimulus intensities, suggesting that this component is neurogenic although acoustic cross-talk may account for a part of its waveform at high stimulus intensities. The latencies of all BI components increased as a function of decreasing stimulus intensity, while the interpeak intervals, especially DV–DVII, were essentially constant at different intensity levels. The amplitudes of BI components decreased slightly with decreasing intensity. As click repetition rate increased, BI wave latencies and interpeak intervals increased slightly and amplitudes decreased slightly. When repetition rate increased to above 20/s, BI components became poorly differentiated. Lower repetition rates, e.g. 10/s, are therefore preferred for routine derivation of the BI. The changes in the latency and amplitude of BI components with stimulus intensity and repetition rate were associated or concomitant with those of the corresponding BAEP components in monaural and binaural potentials. In view of the concomitant relationship between BI and BAEP latency, we designate BI components in association with the corresponding BAEP components.     

The modulation rate transfer function of a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

During echolocation, toothed whales produce ultrasonic clicks at extremely rapid rates and listen for the returning echoes. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) duration was evaluated in terms of latency between single peaks: 5.5 ms (from peak I to VII), 3.4 ms (I–VI), and 1.4 ms (II–IV). In comparison to the killer whale and the bottlenose dolphin, the ABR of the harbour porpoise has shorter intervals between the peaks and consequently a shorter ABR duration. This indicates that the ABR duration and peak latencies are possibly related to the relative size of the auditory structures of the central nervous system and thus to the animal’s size. The ABR to a sinusoidal amplitude modulated stimulus at 125 kHz (sensitivity threshold 63 dB re 1 μPa rms) was evaluated to determine the modulation rate transfer function of a harbour porpoise. The ABR showed distinct envelope following responses up to a modulation rate of 1,900 Hz. The corresponding calculated equivalent rectangular duration of 263 μs indicates a good temporal resolution in the harbour porpoise auditory system similar to the one for the bottlenose dolphin. The results explain how the harbour porpoise can follow clicks and echoes during echolocation with very short inter click intervals.     

The interaction between sex and click polarity in brain-stem auditory potentials evoked from control subjects of Oriental and Caucasian origin

Brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) were performed on 30 male and 30 female young normal Oriental subjects, using both condensation and rarefaction stimulation. The effects of sex and click polarity on the BAEP latencies and amplitudes were studied. Females had shorter absolute and interpeak latencies and higher absolute amplitudes than the males. These sex-related BAEP differences were independent of the click polarity. Rarefaction clicks produced shorter wave I latency and longer I–III interpeak latency, but the differences were significant in the female only. The polarity-related BAEP amplitude differences were essentially independent of the sex. BAEPs performed on 60 sex- and age-matched young Caucasian subjects produced similar results. The importance of establishing control BAEP values according to the sex and click polarity is emphasised.     

The 3-channel Lissajous' trajectory of the auditory brain-stem response. V. Effects of stimulus intensity in the cat

Three-channel Lissajous' trajectories (3-CLTs) of the cat auditory brain-stem response (ABR) were recorded using click stimuli ranging from 10 to 70 dB impulse SPL and were analyzed using planar analysis.The number of planar segments increased from typically 4 at 10 dB to 12 at 70 dB but certain shape features of the 3-CLT (apices) were preserved across stimulus levels. As stimulus level was raised, size of individual planar segments increased. There were progressive decreases in apex latency as stimulus level was increased. The combined durations of groups of high intensity planar segments were similar to those of their low intensity forms. Shape, size and orientation of planar segments tended to change more across stimulus intensities below 40 dB than above and appear to relate to the number of planar segments at any given stimulus level.These results suggest that changes in latency seem to be primarily cochlear in origin, whereas the origin of other observed changes is uncertain. The 3-CLT ABR is sensitive to intensity, especially below 40 dB, and can thus detect changes in auditory system function in response to changes in stimulus intensity, regardless of electrode position.     

Methods for determining auditory evoked brain-stem response thresholds in human newborns

Previous investigators have reported that newborn auditory evoked brain-stem responses (ABRs) are 20–30 dB higher than adult psychophysical thresholds to the same stimuli. These investigators reduced the intensity of the stimulus until they no longer reported an ABR to the stimulus. We adapted 2 widely used psychophysical methods, the up-down-transformed response (UDTR) method and the method of constant stimuli, for ABR threshold determination of human newborns. Response judgments were made blindly. ABR thresholds of healthy normal newborns by both procedures were no more than 10–15 dB higher than adult psychophysical thresholds. The differences between the newborn ABR thresholds we reported and those in the literature were probably explained by different procedures including the method used to estimate adult psychophysical thresholds. The correlations between ABR thresholds and suprathreshold ABR latencies and amplitudes and latency and amplitude/intensity functions were modest at best. In normal newborns suprathreshold ABR measurements are of little value in predicting ABR thresholds.     

Midlatency auditory evoked responses: Differential effects of sleep in the human

Middle latency responses (MLRs) in the 10–100 msec latency range, evoked by click stimuli, were studied in 14 adult volunteer subjects during sleep-wakefulness to determine whether such changes in state were reflected by any MLR component. Evoked potentials were collected in 500 trial averages during continuos presentation of 1/sec clicks during initial awake recordings and thereafter during a 2 h afternoon nap or all-night sleep session. Continuously recorded EEG, EOG and EMG were scored for wakefulness, stages 2–4 of slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep during each evoked potential epoch. The major components included in this study and their latency ranges, as determined by peak latency measurements from the awake records, were: ABR V, 5–8 msec, Pa, 30–40 msec, Nb, 45–55 msec, and P1, 55–80 msec. In agreement with previous reports, ABR V and Pa showed no amplitude changes from wakefulness to either SWS or REM. Not previously reported, however, was the dramatic decrease and disappearance of P1 during SWS and its reappearance during REM to an amplitude similar to that during wakefulness. This unique linkage between a particular evoked potential component and sleep-wakefulness indicates that its generator system must be functionally related to states of arousal. Relevant data from the cat model suggest that the generator substrate for P1 may be within the ascending reticular activating system.     

Auditory brain-stem evoked potentials to clicks at different presentation rates: estimating maturation of pre-term and full-term neonates

Auditory brain-stem evoked potentials ABEPs were recorded from 57 neonates ranging in gestational age between 27 and 43 weeks. Averages and standard deviations of I, III and V peak latencies, I–V, I–III and III–V inter-peak latency differences (IPLDs), for 10/sec and 55/sec clicks were calculated for each age group. An additional measure, the net effect of increasing stimulus rate (ISR), was calculated by subtracting 10/sec measures from their 55/sec counterparts. Correlations between ABEP measures and subject age were determined.The results of this study demonstrate a significant correlation between gestational age and electrophysiological measures of peripheral, as well as central, conduction: an inverse correlation between age and peak latencies as well as IPLDs. The slope of this correlation was steeper for the higher stimulus rate. The slope of 55/sec measures vs. age was the sum of the respective slopes of 10/sec measures and of ISR.The maturation of 10/sec measures may reflect white matter development, while ISR changes with gestational age represent maturation of synaptic efficacy. Thus, the maturation of 55/sec measures reflects the combined maturation of nerve conduction velocity and synaptic efficacy along the neonatal auditory nerve and brain-stem. This differential evaluation may enable more accurate determination of developmental age of neonates, with respect to total maturation as well as its constituents.     

Effects of hypothermia on auditory brain-stem and somatosensory evoked responses. A model of a synaptic and axonal lesion

Auditory nerve brain-stem (ABR) and somatosensory evoked responses (SER) were recorded in cats as body temperature was uniformly lowered from 37 to 27°C. Analysis of the results showed that the alterations in the evoked responses were due to disturbances induced both in axonal propagation and synaptic transmission by the hypothermia. By studying the first wave of the SER, which is solely an axonal event, and by assuming reasonable values for the total synaptic delay and axonal propagation times along the ABR pathway, it was concluded that this lesion model induced an effect on synaptic transmission 1.3–1.7 times greater than that on axonal propagation. There was a strong inverse correlation between wave latency and body temperature, with slightly steeper slopes for the longer latency waves. Wave amplitudes were not correlated with temperature. Furthermore, the wave latencies and amplitudes were generally not dependent on stimulus rate.     

Auditory evoked potentials in Down's syndrome

Short-, middle- and long-latency auditory evoked potentials (SAEPs, MAEPs and LAEPs) were examined in 12 subjects with Down's syndrome and in 12 age-matched normal subjects. In comparison with the normal subjects, Down subjects showed shorter latencies for SAEP peaks II, III, IV and V (and correspondingly shorter interpeak intervals I–II and I–III) so long as stimulus intensity was at least 45 dB SL. The MAEP peak Na had a longer latency in Down subjects than in normal subjects, but not the Pa latency. In passive oddball experiments for LAEPs, the latencies of all components from N1 to P3 were progressively longer in Down subjects, and the N2-P3 amplitude increased slightly between the first and fourth blocks of stimuli (whereas in the normal subjects it decreased). These alterations in auditory evoked potentials, which may correlate with cerebral alterations in organization and responsiveness responsible for deficient information processing, may constitute an electrophysiological pattern that is characteristic of Down's syndrome.     

Evoked acoustic oto-emissions in cochlear deafness]

In order to give a contribution to the genesis of the EOAEs, we have recorded echos in 24 subjects with unilateral sudden deafness (I. group); 20 ears with Menière disease (II. group); 22 ears with progressive sensorineural hearing loss (III. group) and 10 normally hearing young subjects as control group. The results have shown that the EOAEs were present in 100% (I. group), 84.6% (II. group) and 86.3% (III. group) in response to the tone-burst; while the echos were present only in the 57.1% (I. group), 38.4% (II. group) and 45.4% (III. group) in response to the click, although the audiometric threshold mean were greater than 45 dB HL for 2-4 KHz and 1 KHz in the three experimental groups except for 2-4 KHz in the subjects with Menière disease (37.5 dB HL). The properties of EOAEs (detection and saturation threshold, dynamic range and duration) depended on the degree of hearing loss. Our results seem to corroborate the hypothesis that EOAEs could be also produced by a passive intracochlear mechanism attributable to the travelling wave of the basilar membrane provoked by the perilymph. In the normal ear this passive mechanism could be superimposed by an active mechanism, linked to the contractile activity of the outer hair cells with a consequent increase in amplitude of the EOAEs for the same stimulus intensity.     

Stochastic Properties of Discrete Waves of the Limulus Photoreceptor

In the dark-adapted photoreceptor of the horseshoe crab, Limulus, transient discrete depolarizations of the cell membrane, discrete waves, occur in total darkness and their rate of occurrence is increased by illumination. The individual latencies of the discrete waves evoked by a light stimulus often cannot be resolved because the discrete waves overlap in time. The latency of the first discrete wave that follows a stimulus can be determined with reasonable accuracy. We propose a model which allows us to make an estimate of the distribution of the latencies of the individual light-evoked discrete waves, and to predict the latency distribution of the first discrete wave that follows a stimulus of arbitrary intensity-time course from the latency distribution of the first discrete wave that follows a brief flash of light. For low intensity stimuli, the predictions agree well with the observations. We define a response as the occurrence of one or more discrete waves following a stimulus. The distribution of the peak amplitudes of responses suggests that the peak amplitude of individual discrete waves sometimes has a bimodal distribution. The latencies of the two types of discrete waves, however, follow similar distributions. The area under the voltage-time curve of responses that follow equal energy long (1.25 sec) and short (10 msec) light stimuli follows similar distributions, and this suggests that discrete waves summate linearly.     

Auditory brain-stem evoked potentials in cat after kainic acid induced neuronal loss. II. Cochlear nucleus

Auditory brain-stem potentials (ABRs) were studied in cats for up to 6 weeks after kainic acid had been injected unilaterally into the cochlear nucleus (CN) producing extensive neuronal destruction. The ABRcomponents were labeled by the polarity at the vertex (P, for positive) and their order of appearance (the arabic numerals 1,2, etc.). Component P1 can be further subdivided into 2 subcomponents, P1a and P1b. The assumed correspondence between the ABR components in cat and man is indicated by providing human Roman numeral designations in parentheses following the feline notation, e.g., P2 (III). To stimulation of the ear ipsilateral to the injection, the ABR changes consisted of a loss of components P2 (III) and P3 (IV), and an attenuation and prolongation of latency of components P4 (V) and P5 (VI). The sustained potential shift from which the components arose was not affected. Wave P1a (I) was also slightly but significantly attenuated compatible with changes of excitability of nerve VIII in the cochlea secondary to cochlear nucleus destruction. Unexpectedly, to stimulation of the ear contralateral to the injection side, waves P2 (III), P3 (IV), and P4 (V) were also attenuated and delayed in latency but to a lesser degree than to stimulation of the ear ipsilateral to the injection. Changes in binaural interaction of the ABR following cochlear nucleus lesions were similar to those produced in normal animals by introducing a temporal delay of the input to one ear. The results of the present set of studies using kainic acid to induce neuronla loss in auditory pathway when combined with prior lesion and recording experiments suggest that each of the components of the ABR requires the integrity of an anatomically diffuse system comprising a set of neurons, their axons, and the neurons on which they terminate. Disruption of any portion of the system will alter the amplitude and/or the latency of that component.     

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Enhances Accelerative Wave Intensity in Coronary Arteries

Background

The systolic forward travelling compression wave (sFCW) and diastolic backward travelling decompression waves (dBEW) predominantly accelerate coronary blood flow. The effect of a coronary stenosis on the intensity of these waves in the distal vessel is unknown. We investigated the relationship between established physiological indices of hyperemic coronary flow and the intensity of the two major accelerative coronary waves identified by Coronary Wave Intensity analysis (CWIA).

Methodology / Principal Findings

Simultaneous intracoronary pressure and velocity measurement was performed during adenosine induced hyperemia in 17 patients with pressure / Doppler flow wires positioned distal to the target lesion. CWI profiles were generated from this data. Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) and Coronary Flow Velocity Reserve (CFVR) were calculated concurrently. The intensity of the dBEW was significantly correlated with FFR (R = -0.70, P = 0.003) and CFVR (R = -0.73, P = 0.001). The intensity of the sFCW was also significantly correlated with baseline FFR (R = 0.71, p = 0.002) and CFVR (R = 0.59, P = 0.01). Stenting of the target lesion resulted in a median 178% (interquartile range 55–280%) (P<0.0001) increase in sFCW intensity and a median 117% (interquartile range 27–509%) (P = 0.001) increase in dBEW intensity. The increase in accelerative wave intensity following PCI was proportionate to the baseline FFR and CFVR, such that stenting of lesions associated with the greatest flow limitation (lowest FFR and CFVR) resulted in the largest increases in wave intensity.

Conclusions

Increasing ischemia severity is associated with proportionate reductions in cumulative intensity of both major accelerative coronary waves. Impaired diastolic microvascular decompression may represent a novel, important pathophysiologic mechanism driving the reduction in coronary blood flow in the setting of an epicardial stenosis.     

Glutamate induces different neuronal conditioned responses than ACPD when used as a locally ionophoresed unconditioned stimulus in the cat motor cortex

Single unit recordings were made from the motor cortex of conscious cats with glass micropipettes that allowed ionophoretic application of 0.5 M glutamate in 2 M NaCl or 0.5 M ACPD (1S,3R-1-amino-cyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, a mGluR agonist) in 2 M NaCl. Activity in response to a 70 dB click (1 ms rectangular pulse to loudspeaker) was studied before, during, and immediately after applying each agent locally as a paired US (90 nA current 570 ms after click for 300 ms in combination with glabella tap). A 70 dB hiss sound was presented 4.4 sec after the click as a discriminative stimulus (DS). CS and DS were presented 10 times initially (adaptation); then CS, US plus tap, and DS (approximately 10 times as conditioning); and then CS and DS (2-10 times to test post-conditioning). Glutamate potentiated the mean, early, 8-16 ms response to the click after conditioning (t=18.2, p<0.0001), but not the baseline activity which decreased from a mean of 17 spk/sec to 7 spk/sec (t=3.71, p<0.001). Baseline activity increased to 31 spk/sec when glutamate was applied during conditioning (t=3.30, p<0.005). ACPD reduced the intermediate, 64-72 ms response to the click after conditioning (t=8.18, p<0.0001), and potentiated the late 104-112 ms response (t=15.4, p<0.0001). Baseline activity was slightly increased after conditioning with ACPD. Saline did not potentiate the response to click. The results indicate that glutamate agonists that differ in their receptor affinities can induce different CRs when used as locally applied USs to condition neuronal responses to a click CS in the motor cortex of cats.     

Auditory brain stem responses in characterization of dolphin hearing

Summary Auditory brain stem responses (ABR) were recorded from the head surface of non-anesthetized and non-relaxed bottle-nosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. The region of best ABR recording was shown to be located 6–9 cm caudal to the blowhole. The threshold values were about 1 mPa for noise bursts and –3 dB re 1 mPa for tone bursts of the optimal frequency (80 kHz). The maximum frequency at which ABR could be evoked was 140 kHz. The duration of temporal summation reached 0.5 ms at intensities near the threshold and decreased with an increase in intensity. When the stimuli were paired clicks of the same intensity, the time to complete recovery from the second response was about 5 ms, while that to its 50% recovery was 0.7 ms. When the conditioning click exceeded the testing one in intensity, prolongation of the recovery period was observed. A 40-dB intensity difference led to an approximately 10-fold prolongation of this period.Abbreviations ABR auditory brain stem response - EP evoked potential