Post-masking in cortical auditory evoked potentials following acoustically controlled auditory training: a case...

Central auditory processing refers to the individual's ability to process auditory information within the central auditory nervous system and involves a set of auditory skills. Deficits in one or more of these skills characterize central auditory processing disorder. Given the presence of this disorder, auditory training is indicated as a set of strategies designed to activate the auditory system and improve the processing of acoustic signals. Electrophysiological measures such as cortical auditory evoked potential may serve as a valuable supplement to the behavioral assessment of auditory processing. When associated with noise, temporal masking is assessed. It is characterized as an alteration in the perception of a sound in the presence of another auditory stimulus. Individuals with this disorder are more susceptible to post-masking effects due to difficulties in understanding speech in noisy environments. This study reports the case of a 25-year-old adult diagnosed with central auditory processing disorder who underwent cortical auditory evoked potentials using speech stimulus preceded by noise. The acoustically controlled auditory training was conducted over 10 sessions, using the "Afinando o Cérebro" platform. Following intervention, improvements were observed in the participant's auditory skills, along with reductions in the latencies of the P1, N1 and P2 waves and in the N1-P1 and N1-P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes. These findings highlight the effects of acoustically controlled auditory training and contribute to a better understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in speech perception in noise among individuals with central auditory processing disorder.