The Auditory Brainstem Response: Enhancement and Interpretation

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is one of several auditory evoked responses which have a variety of military and clinical applications (2,6). Currently the ABR is analyzed using frequency-dependent filtering techniques over very long windows (up to several hundred seconds). CMI proposes to use modern nonlinear signal processing techniques )order statistic filters, neural networks, fuzzy logic, etc) to improve the accuracy of the ABR analysis while reducing the analysis time. One of the applications of ABR analysis currently in use at AL is the neurodiagnosis of auditory brainstem dysfunction in pilots for classification and retention. Supporting goals for AL include; neurological assessment, threshold assessment, and the determination of a method to identify and standardize salient features of the ABR. In the commercial sector there are obvious uses such as; newborn infant auditory screening, estimation of auditory sensitivity in very young children, intraoperative monitoring of the eight nerve and auditory brainstem status during posterior cranial surgery.