Effects of presbycusis and other types of hearing loss on auditory brainstem responses

Auditory brainstem responses were studied in 373 healthy individuals of various ages and with sensorineural hearing loss of differing degrees. 209 subjects were elderly and had a hearing loss which included a component of presbycusis. The remainder were young or middle-aged with cochlear hearing loss. Altogether 606 ears were tested. The old individuals had generally longer ABR wave latencies than the young subjects. The I-V interpeak latency (IPL) was also prolonged in the older age groups compared with the group of younger individuals, except for subjects with pronounced hearing loss. The results of the study indicate that an age-related dysfunction of the auditory pathway in the brainstem can be present in presbycusis.