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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
A Multicentre Database for Normative Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials (BAEPs) in Children: Methodology for Data
Vidmer Scaioli1, Mario Brinciotti, Matteo Di Capua
1Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Neurologico C. Besta, Milan.
Insights
Collecting brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) data in children is feasible for clinical diagnosis. Normalizing BAEPs using the natural logarithm of age provides reliable results across multiple centers.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Physiological and methodological factors significantly impact brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) recordings in children more than adults.
- Establishing normative BAEP data in pediatric populations is crucial due to developmental variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To collect and evaluate brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) data in normal children.
- To measure intra- and inter-laboratory variability in BAEP recordings.
- To assess the feasibility of creating a multicenter database for clinical diagnosis and research.
Main Methods:
- Seven hundred and fifty unselected BAEP recordings were collected from children aged neonates to 14 years.
- Data were evaluated across eight laboratories in Italy.
- Statistical analysis was performed to assess variability, age-related changes, and the impact of sound intensity and sex.
Main Results:
- Newborn BAEPs showed variability, with wave I more broadly distributed than wave V and interpeak latency I-V.
- Pooled data from older children yielded overlapping results when age-matched but significant differences when unmatched.
- Sound intensity and sex did not significantly affect latencies; a single exponential regression model adequately predicted normal data.
Conclusions:
- Pooled BAEP data align with the physiological maturation of the brainstem acoustic pathway.
- Brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) can be reliably normalized using the natural logarithm of age.
- Multicenter common databases are feasible and reliable for clinical diagnosis and research, with inter-center differences attributed to sample size and criteria.
Background:
The influence of physiological and methodological factors on recordings of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) is greater in children than in adults.
Objective:
To collect and evaluate BAEP data in normal children, and measure intra- and inter-laboratory variability.
Methods:
Seven hundred and fifty unselected BAEP recordings were collected and evaluated from children ranging from neonates to 14-year-olds by eight laboratories in Italy.
Results:
In newborns, three laboratories showed satisfactory concordance; wave I was more broadly distributed than wave V and IPL I-V. The evaluation of pooled BAEP data from the older children showed that laboratories with age-matched data gave overlapping results; those with unmatched-age data differed significantly. The sound intensities of the laboratories did not significantly affect absolute BAEP latencies or IPLs. Females had shorter latencies than males; the difference was not significant. A single exponential regression model was an adequate but not the best predictor of normal data.
Conclusions:
The pooled data were consistent with the physiological maturation of the brainstem acoustic pathway. The BAEPs was reliably normalised using the natural logarithm of age. The differences between Centres were related to sample size, measurement accuracy, and inclusion and selection criteria.
Significance:
The creation of multicentre common database from an unmatched data collection is feasible and reliable enough for clinical diagnosis and multicentre clinical research.
