Brainstem acoustic evoked responses: maturational aspects from cochlea to midbrain

BAEPs were recorded from 92 healthy children with a gestational age of 35 weeks up to 16 years. The maturation kinetic of I-III and I-V interpeak latency can well be approximated by the exponential regressions I-V : y = 0.9588 x e -0.9215 x x + 3.9728; r = 0.87; I-III : y = 0.6182 x e -1.1737 x x + 2.1759; r = 0.81; Adult values are reached by about two years of life. In contrast to this immaturity of the central auditory pathways the slopes of latency--intensity functions of waves I and V show no significant differences between premature infants and neonates versus older children over three years. Caused by the prolonged I-V IPL wave V latency is about 1 ms longer in the first group, whereas wave I is only slightly prolonged (0.2 ms) within the first three months of life.