The characterization of auditory brainstem response (ABR) waveforms: A study in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri)

• Main Authors: Lihong Xie, Menglin Wang, Ting Liao, Songhua Tan, Kai Sun, Heng Li, Qin Fang, Anzhou Tang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2018-09-01
• Series: Journal of Otology
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672293018300096

To characterize the patterns of ABR waves in tree shrews, we must understand the hearing sensitivity and auditory function of healthy adult tree shrews. Fifteen tree shrews (30 ears) were stimulated with clicks and tone-pips at 11 different frequencies from 1 to 60 kHz. The ABR waves were recorded and analyzed. The ABR consisted of five to seven positive waves in the first 10 ms after a click stimulus, and the average hearing threshold of component III was 27.86 ± 3.78 dB SPL. Wave III was the largest and most clear. The ABR threshold was related to the tone-pip sitmulus by a “U” shaped curve. The sensitive frequency was approximately 8 kHz in tree shrews. The latencies systematically decreased with increasing stimulus frequencies. The ABR amplitudes of wave III increased as the sound pressure level increased. All of these results provide an empirical basis for future studies of hearing diseases in tree shrews. Keywords: Tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri), Ear, Auditory brainstem response, Primates