Using the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) to Determine Sensitivity of Hearing in Mutant Mice

Measurements of auditory evoked potentials can be used to determine reliably an audiometric representation of hearing sensitivity in mice. In a high-throughput phenotyping screen of mice carrying targeted mutations of single genes, the auditory brainstem response (ABR) is used to gain an estimate of hearing threshold for broadband click stimuli and pure tone frequencies ranging from 6 to 30 kHz. Comparison of thresholds obtained in mutant and wild-type mice give a means to determine mild, moderate, and severe hearing impairment. This gives a clear advantage over using a "clickbox" test to assess hearing by observations of the Preyer reflex. The ABR screen has identified several mutant lines with mild and moderate hearing loss, which appear to demonstrate normal Preyer responses. The ABR technique also allows frequency-selective hearing loss to be identified. Curr. Protoc. Mouse Biol. 1:279-287 © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.