Auditory event-related potentials and function of the medial olivocochlear efferent system in children with auditory processing disorders

• Published in: International journal of audiology Vol. 58; no. 4; pp. 213 - 223
• Main Authors: Morlet, Thierry, Nagao, Kyoko, Greenwood, L. Ashleigh, Cardinale, R. Matthew, Gaffney, Rebecca G., Riegner, Tammy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 03-04-2019
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Perceptual Disorders - diagnosis; Auditory Perceptual Disorders - physiopathology; Auditory Perceptual Disorders - psychology; Auditory processing disorder; Child; Cochlea - innervation; Efferent Pathways - physiopathology; event-related potentials; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Female; Humans; Male; Noise - adverse effects; Olivary Nucleus - physiopathology; olivocochlear efferent system; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; Perceptual Masking; speech in noise; Speech Perception; Speech Reception Threshold Test; olivocochlear efferent system; event-related potentials; Auditory processing disorder; speech in noise
• ISSN: 1499-2027; 1708-8186
• DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2018.1551632

Objective: The objectives were to investigate the function of central auditory pathways and of the medial efferent olivocochlear system (MOCS).
Design: Event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded following the delivery of the stimulus /da/ in quiet and in ipsilateral, contralateral, and binaural noise conditions and correlated to the results of the auditory processing disorders (APD) diagnostic test battery. MOCS function was investigated by adding ipsilateral, contralateral, and binaural noise to transient evoked otoacoustic emission recordings. Auditory brainstem responses and pure tone audiogram were also evaluated.
Study Sample: Nineteen children (7 to 12 years old) with APD were compared with 24 age-matched controls.
Results: Otoacoustic emissions and ABR characteristics did not differ between groups, whereas ERP latencies were significantly longer and of higher amplitudes in APD children than in controls, in both quiet and noise conditions. The MOCS suppression was higher in APD children.
Conclusions: Findings indicate that children with APD present with neural deficiencies in both challenging and nonchallenging environments with an increase in the timing of several central auditory processes correlated to their behavioural performances. Meanwhile, their modulation of the auditory periphery under noisy conditions differs from control children with higher suppression.