Reliability of threshold estimation in hearing-impaired adults using the AMFR

The amplitude modulation-following response (AMFR), an auditory evoked potential elicited by continuous amplitude-modulated tones, can be recorded for carrier frequencies across the audiometric range. AMFR thresholds (based on the amplitude spectra of the responses) have been found to closely follow behavioral thresholds in six normal-hearing and four hearing-impaired adults. In the current work, we studied the reliability of the AMFR as an index of behavioral low-frequency (500 and 1000 Hz) thresholds in a larger sample (n = 16) of hearing-impaired adults with mild to moderate hearing loss. The AMFR amplitudes and detection thresholds were strongly correlated across the two recording sessions, and AMFR thresholds obtained in both sessions were strongly correlated to behavioral thresholds. The average absolute difference between the AMFR and behavioral thresholds was 7.3 dB and 6.4 dB for 500 Hz and 1000 Hz, respectively.