[The proof of age differences of slow acoustically evoked potentials of adults by a multivariate statistical analysis...

Many authors consider the nature of the slow acoustically evoked potentials to be partly a specific one. Therefore the AEP-time behavior probably contains more information about the functional state of the acoustical channel than it is got by the usual measurement of only 3 values (N1P2-amplitude, 2 latencies). A test of this hypothesis is possible with a multivariate mathematical procedure, which involves the whole AEP-time behavior. We are using the multivariate variance- and discriminant analysis. For the application of this statistical method random samples of patients with certain otologic diseases are needed. To avoid mistakes in grouping these samples some preliminary investigations had been necessary: This paper reports the results of multivariate investigations concerning age differences of the AEP in normal hearing adults. By means of the multivariate variance analysis the AEP of 3 age groups were examined (group 1: 15--34 years, group 2: 35--44 years, group 3: 45--60 years). At 1000 Hz as well as at 400 Hz significant differences between the group averages were found, which were not detectable by the usual N1P2-amplitude measurement. Furthermore with the discriminant analysis it is possible to perform a relatively reliable differentiation between the individual AEP of the age groups 1 and 3.