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The click stimulus generally used for newborn hearing screening generates a traveling wave along the basilar membrane, which excites each of the frequency bands in the cochlea, one after another. Due to the lack in synchronization of the excitations, the summated response amplitude is low. A repetitive click-like stimulus can be set up in the frequency domain by adding a high number of cosines, the frequency intervals of which comply with the desired stimulus repetition rate. Straight-forward compensation of the cochlear traveling wave delay is possible with a stimulus of this type. As a result, better synchronization of the neural excitation can be obtained so that higher response amplitudes can be expected. The additional introduction of a frequency offset enables the use of a q-sample test for response detection. The results of investigations carried out on a large group of normal-hearing test subjects have confirmed the enhanced efficiency of this stimulus design. The new stimuli lead to significantly higher response SNRs and thus higher detection rates and shorter detection times. Using band-limited stimuli designed in the same manner, a 'frequency-specific' hearing screening seems to be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ASSR is a promising tool for the objective frequency-specific assessment of hearing thresholds in children. The stimulus generally used for ASSR recording (single amplitude-modulated carrier) only activates a small area on the basilar membrane. Therefore, the response amplitude is low. A stimulus with a broader frequency spectrum can be composed by adding several cosines whose frequency intervals comply with the desired stimulus repetition rate. Compensation of the travelling wave delay on the basilar membrane is possible with a stimulus of this type. Through this, a better synchronization of the neural response can be obtained and, as a result, higher response amplitudes can be expected, particularly for low-frequency stimuli. The additional introduction of a frequency offset enables the use of a q-sample test for the response detection, especially important at 500 Hz. The results of investigations carried out on a large group of normally hearing test subjects have confirmed the efficiency of this stimulus design. The new stimuli lead to significantly improved ASSRs with higher SNRs and thus higher detection rates and shorter detection times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]