Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 29, 2026

A Low Cost Setup for Behavioral Audiometry in Rodents
Published on: October 16, 2012
Effect of forward masking on auditory brainstem response in individuals with tinnitus
Durga S Kumar1, Sreeraj Konadath2
1Former Junior reserach fellow, Department of Audiology, All India Institute of speech and Hearing, Mysuru, Karnataka, India; Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing, Father Muller College of Speech and Hearing, Mangalore, India.
Objective:
To examine the impact of forward masking (FM), both on-frequency and off-frequency, on low (0.5 kHz), mid (1 & 2 kHz), and high-frequency (4 kHz) probe stimuli in Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test for individuals with tinnitus.
Design:
The experimental design followed a standard group comparison research, where ABR was acquired across three experimental conditions: unmasked, off-frequency FM, and on-frequency FM.
Study Sample:
Thirty participants with tinnitus and 30 without tinnitus were recruited.
Results:
The between-group comparison showed that the tinnitus group exhibited a longer wave V peak absolute latency and smaller response amplitude than controls for unmasked conditions. However, when the masker was introduced in both FM conditions, the tinnitus group tended to have an unidentifiable wave V peak response, which was significant at higher masker intensities.
Conclusions:
The altered ABR in the tinnitus group under FM conditions could suggest altered neural synchrony and reduce nerve fiber firing at the subcor tical level in individuals with tinnitus.
Related Concept Videos
Hearing
The Cochlea
Echo
Imagine the sound is reflected back to the ears. Assuming that the source is very close to the human, the difference between hearing the two sounds—the emitted sound and the reflected sound—may be more than the minimum time for perceiving distinct sounds. If this is the case, then the...
Auditory Pathway
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
Auditory Perception
Perceiving Loudness, Pitch, and Location
Place theory, or place coding, suggests that different pitches are heard because various sound waves activate specific locations along the cochlea's basilar membrane. The brain determines the pitch of a sound by identifying...

