The effect of tinnitus on ABR latencies

Comparisons were made of the ABR latencies of tinnitus (T) and nontinnitus (NT) patient groups balanced for age and gender and matched for acoustic reflex threshold (ART)s, 1000 to 4000 Hz and 4000 Hz auditory thresholds, and normal hearing. In the ART match, prolongations of wave I [t(94) = 4.42, p less than 0.001], wave III [t(94) = 2.72, p less than 0.01], and wave V [t(94) = 3.32, p less than 0.01] and the III-V interval [t(94) = 2.48, p less than 0.02) were seen in T subjects. Wave I in 1 to 4 kHz matched [t(62) = 3.13, p less than 0.005] and normal-hearing subjects [t(30) = 2.58, p less than 0.01] was prolonged in T females. The utility of using wave I as a diagnostic indicator for tinnitus in females is discussed.