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. 2016 Mar 20;6(6):e1768.
doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.1768.

Mouse Auditory Brainstem Response Testing

Affiliations

Mouse Auditory Brainstem Response Testing

Omar Akil et al. Bio Protoc. .

Abstract

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) test provides information about the inner ear (cochlea) and the central pathways for hearing. The ABR reflects the electrical responses of both the cochlear ganglion neurons and the nuclei of the central auditory pathway to sound stimulation (Zhou et al., 2006; Burkard et al., 2007). The ABR contains 5 identifiable wave forms, labeled as I-V. Wave I represents the summated response from the spiral ganglion and auditory nerve while waves II-V represent responses from the ascending auditory pathway. The ABR is recorded via electrodes placed on the scalp of an anesthetized animal. ABR thresholds refer to the lowest sound pressure level (SPL) that can generate identifiable electrical response waves. This protocol describes the process of measuring the ABR of small rodents (mouse, rat, guinea pig, etc.), including anesthetizing the mouse, placing the electrodes on the scalp, recording click and tone burst stimuli and reading the obtained waveforms for ABR threshold values. As technology continues to evolve, ABR will likely provide more qualitative and quantitative information regarding the function of the auditory nerve and brainstem pathways involved in hearing.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A mouse in position for ABR recording
The mouse is placed 10 cm from the speaker on a heating pad with all 3 electrodes placed in the head, within the sound-proof chamber.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Position of the 3 electrodes on the mouse head
The blue, the green and the red arrows represent the exact position of the electrodes in the mouse head. A picture of the blue electrode is also included. “F” means forehead, “R” means right ear and “L” means left ear.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Representative ABR tracings from wild-type and deaf mice
Wild-type mice present normal ABR waveforms, while the deaf mice present no identifiable ABR responses. “I-V’’ indicates the location of ABR peaks. The black arrow indicates the ABR threshold (33dB SPL).
Figure 4
Figure 4. Representative graph of an ABR testing
ABR thresholds (decibels of sound pressure level, dBSPL) were measured in mice with normal ABR (Black, Blue and Green curves) and abnormal ABR (Red curve). The mice with abnormal ABR showed higher ABR thresholds at click stimulus and at tones stimuli (8, 16, and 32 kHz) when compared to mice with normal ABR.

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