Auditory Brainstem Response
Also written as: ABR — Auditory Brainstem Response
An electrophysiological test that records the electrical activity of the auditory nerve and brainstem in response to click or tone-burst stimuli, used to objectively estimate hearing thresholds and assess neural auditory pathway integrity.
Full Definition
The auditory brainstem response (ABR), also known as the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) or brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER), measures a series of voltage peaks (Waves I–VII) arising from successive neural generators along the auditory pathway, from the cochlear nerve to the inferior colliculus. It is used for threshold estimation in non-cooperative patients (e.g., infants), intraoperative monitoring, and diagnosis of retrocochlear pathology such as acoustic neuroma. Editors must consistently use the chosen abbreviation (ABR vs. BAER) throughout a document and ensure wave labels are in Roman numerals.
Usage
Usage note: ABR is the preferred abbreviation in North American clinical literature; BAER/BAEP are also encountered. Editors should standardize to whichever form the publication style requires and define on first use.
In Context
- "ABR testing at 80 dB nHL failed to elicit a reproducible Wave V response, indicating a severe-to-profound hearing loss." — Pediatric audiology report
- "Authors should define ABR on first use and specify whether click or tone-burst stimuli were employed." — Journal manuscript style guide