Electrophysiologic assessment of the lower portion of the auditory pathway in the human subject. A preliminary report on auditory evoked eighth nerve and brain stem potentials including their relation to the electrocochleogram.

The electrophysiologic approaches to the assessment of electrical activity of the various portions of the human auditory pathway are reviewed. A method of detection of click evoked eighth nerve and brain stem responses with the use of surface electrodes is described. Preliminary observations in the normal subject with different stimulus parameters and in patients with unilateral deafness are presented. Simultaneous recordings of the eighth nerve and brain stem responses with the cortical evoked response and with the extratympanic electrocochleogram are described. The technique of click evoked eighth nerve and brain stem potentials offers us an additional method of objective assessment of auditory function in a human subject.