AABR

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) is an objective audiological test that records electrical activity from the auditory nerve and brainstem in response to sound. In AABR, electrodes placed on the scalp and ears capture neural responses to brief acoustic stimuli, typically clicks or tone bursts, delivered via earphones or insert transducers. The stimuli evoke waveforms, and a computer algorithm automatically analyzes the responses to determine whether the auditory pathway up to the brainstem is functioning within a predefined, age-appropriate range. The result is a pass/fail decision, used primarily as a screening tool rather than a diagnostic threshold estimation.

AABR is widely used in newborn hearing screening programs, especially for infants who cannot reliably participate in behavioral testing. It is often employed in hospital nurseries and neonatal intensive care units, and can be performed relatively quickly. In some programs it is used in combination with otoacoustic emissions to improve screening sensitivity, and abnormal results typically lead to diagnostic follow-up with more comprehensive ABR testing and other audiological assessments.

Limitations include the potential for false positives or negatives, dependence on equipment and normative data, and the fact that automated AABR provides a pass/fail result rather than a precise hearing threshold. Pass results do not guarantee normal hearing in all frequencies, and abnormal results require diagnostic evaluation to determine degree and type of hearing loss. AABR remains distinct from diagnostic ABR, which uses more detailed stimulus protocols and manual interpretation to estimate auditory thresholds.