Auditory brain stem potentials recorded at different scalp locations in neonates and adults

The auditory evoked brain stem potential was recorded in 14 normal full-term infants and nine normal-hearing adults. Silver-silver chloride electrodes were placed at nasion, forehead, vertex, each mastoid over the bony prominence, and the seventh cervical vertebra (noncephalic reference) in order to study the scalp distribution of the auditory brain stem response. Large differences in the scalp distribution between the newborn and adult populations were observed. At the ipsilateral mastoid, an x wave occurring at approximately 2 ms and a y wave occurring at approximately 3.3 ms were identified in the adult; this contrasts to a y wave at approximately 3.7 ms in the neonate. It appears that there are either separate generators for some of the components in the adult versus the neonate, and/or as the nervous system matures, myelinization occurs with a concomitant change in the scalp distribution of the auditory brain stem potentials.