Evoked Potentials as Indicators of Auditory Maturation

Abstract

Evoked potentials are used widely to quantify the state of maturation of the auditory nervous system both in humans and animals. In animals a comparison between the rate of maturation obtained with evoked potential recording and with single unit recording can be made. In addition comparison with results from behavioural studies is possible. The presently available material suggests qualitatively similar time courses for single unit, evoked potential and behavioural data in the cat. However, quantitatively there are quite sizeable differences. Applications in humans only allow comparison with behavioural data, the amount and reliability of which at the moment are small. On the basis of the animal results an optimistic view point may be taken but diversity between some large studies on maturation of the human auditory evoked potentials do not substantiate this at the moment.