Auditory brainstem of the ferret: maturation of the brainstem auditory evoked response.

A longitudinal study of developmental changes in the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) was made on 19 ferrets between postnatal days 25 (P25) and 50. Responses to free-field click stimuli were recorded from anaesthetized animals, and compared with data obtained from 8 adult ferrets. A reproducible BAER was first recordable on P27, although the response onset was generally later in smaller animals. BAER onset preceded eye opening, which started on P32. Adult-like thresholds were observed in all animals by P40, but the age at which they were attained was also dependent on size. The BAER in the adult ferret consists of 4 main vertex-positive peaks occurring in the first 5 ms following transient acoustic stimulation. In the youngest animals the presence of an additional peak (between II and III) and the slurring of peaks III and IV were consistent features. The individual peaks undergo an asymmetrical pattern of development, with mean peak I latency attaining an adult value at P40, while mean peak IV latency is still 115% of the mean adult value at that age. BAERs could routinely be recorded using high stimulus presentation rates (greater than 40/s), though an increase in absolute and interpeak latencies occurred, the extent of which decreased with age. The pattern of BAER development in the ferret is compared with that in other species, and the concept of the 'silent period' (period between conception and onset of hearing) as a standard unit of auditory development is introduced.