Objective detection of the amplitude modulation following response (AMFR)

The amplitude modulation following response (AMFR) has been shown to be a promising tool for objective frequency-specific assessment of hearing thresholds children. AMFR represented in the frequency domain by a single spectral line. This simplifies the objective statistical detection in comparison other responses with a more complex waveform. The aim of the present study is to compare the performance of four known tests (phase coherence (PC), new Hotelling T2 (HT2*), modified PC (PC*), magnitude-squared coherence (MSC)) on the basis of a large sample (n=1484) of AMFR recordings (stimulus level of 30 dB nHL in normally-hearing subjects, and 30 dB SL in hearing-impaired subjects) to find the test best suited for AMFR detection. The decision was made on the basis of the detection rates as well as of the ROC curves. Based on the large data pool, MSC and PC* show equal performance and a small but consistent advantage in objective detection of AMFR over HT2* and PC.