Effects of gender and head size on the auditory brainstem response

Fifty audiologically normal young adults, 25 men and 25 women, were submitted to the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test. The mean latencies of the waves I, II, III, IV and V and the interpeak latencies (IPLs) I-III, I-V and III-V were calculated and compared to the normative values published by other groups. We have observed a great similarity among these values, specially in the interpeak latencies. The latencies of the principal ABR parameters were compared between the sexes showing significant differences in all the waves, particularly in the wave V. No significant correlations were found among the values when the head size and the ABR principal components latencies were confronted.