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Published on: December 9, 2022
Gender Disparities in Speech-evoked Auditory Brainstem Response in Healthy Adults
Bahram Jalaei1, Mohd Normani Zakaria2, Mohd Hafiz Afifi Mohd Azmi2
11 Department of Audiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Objectives:
Gender disparities in speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) outcomes have been reported, but the literature is limited. The present study was performed to further verify this issue and determine the influence of head size on speech-ABR results between genders.
Methods:
Twenty-nine healthy Malaysian subjects (14 males and 15 females) aged 19 to 30 years participated in this study. After measuring the head circumference, speech-ABR was recorded by using synthesized syllable /da/ from the right ear of each participant. Speech-ABR peaks amplitudes, peaks latencies, and composite onset measures were computed and analyzed.
Results:
Significant gender disparities were noted in the transient component but not in the sustained component of speech-ABR. Statistically higher V/A amplitudes and less steeper V/A slopes were found in females. These gender differences were partially affected after controlling for the head size.
Conclusions:
Head size is not the main contributing factor for gender disparities in speech-ABR outcomes. Gender-specific normative data can be useful when recording speech-ABR for clinical purposes.
